And In Appalling News. . .
Even if I don’t always like the people they’re supporting personally, it’s been my experience that the ACLU is generally on the right side of the freedom argument. And if they have to defend the KKK in order to make this argument, I am all down. Because this is ridiculous:
The ACLU sent a letter in November to the school board’s attorney on behalf of Gillman, asking for clarification as to whether a variety of symbols and slogans, such as the rainbow flag or “I support my gay friends,� would be allowed at the school.
The school district replied that it would not allow any expressions of support for gay rights at all because such speech would “likely be disruptive.” The district then said that such symbols and slogans were signs that students were part of a “secret/illegal organization.” according to the ACLU.
The ACLU became involved after Gillman and other students approached it saying there was atmosphere at the school in which students said they were routinely intimidated by school officials for things such as writing “gay pride” on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothing.
I just can’t imagine a world in which students should be told what they should and should not write on their notebooks, assuming the things they write aren’t death threats or hate speech. But basically, Benjamin James Stevenson, the ACLU lawyer, summed it up better than I could when he said:
“Because the Supreme Court has held that students have a right to free speech at school unless that speech disrupts the educational process, many administrators think they can just slap the label ‘disruptive’ on anything they don’t like and get away with stomping on students’ First Amendment rights . . . The law doesn’t work that way . . .School should be a marketplace of ideas, where students share new ideas and learn about themselves and others. Just talking about gay rights or any other topic outside of class isn’t inherently disruptive.”
Is there even really a question about that?
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