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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 19397
[Civil]
Date Posted:
2/19/2008
11:47:22 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 9,713
RSS: 19,367
Comments: 36
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ACLU Supports Anti-Gay T-Shirt
Author: Tim Waldorf Source: Suburban Chicago News (IL)
Title: ACLU SUPPORTS ANTI-GAY T-SHIRT
Indian Prairie School District 204 should allow students to express their sentiments about homosexuality by wearing "Be happy, not gay" T-shirts, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
The ACLU filed a legal brief that supports Neuqua students in their lawsuit against District 204. In its Monday release, the ACLU summarize the conclusion of its brief.
"First, the school's speech policy is unlawful on its face, because it broadly prohibits all speech that disparages protected classes, rather than carefully distinguishing protected speech from unprotected harassment," the release said. "Second, the school last spring should have allowed two students on one day to wear the 'Be happy, not gay' T-shirts."
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Community Thoughts: There are 36 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Rights | Feb 22nd. at 2:28:41 am EST
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Pranxtor (Denham Springs, Louisiana) - Email Me
I stand agianst the removal of anyone's rights reguardless of reason, expecially if they are a minor. At my high school if you didn't miss a day you could skip two finals. Well my little brother missed one day because he was suspended. He was suspended because the school determined highlights are inappropriate and distracting. My brother had only natural highlights (those he was born with) yet he was suspended any way. He was never asked if he could prove they were naturally occuring he was simply asked to leave campus. When he returned to school he had proofe they were natural and he then dyed them out. However he was not allowed to make up the work nor was he allowed to skip finals at the end of the year. This is not only a removal of due process but also a removal of fair punishment. That my friends is why you shouldn't remove someone's rights because they are a minor or to keep from hurting someone. When you remove the rights of any people someone always gets hurt.
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| Fair Enough | Feb 20th. at 5:35:52 pm EST
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Cavalary (Bucharest, Romania) - Email Me
It's called free speech. If some would try to wear pro-gay t-shirts and they wouldn't be allowed, that'd be a problem, but I don't see any problem in allowing the anti-gay crowd to express their views as well. After all, a message on a t-shirt is a very peaceful way of doing so.
Remember that freedom of speech includes the right of those who disagree with you to make their views known.
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| A Reminder For Some | Feb 20th. at 12:10:18 pm EST
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Sparrow (Chicago, Mississippi) - Email Me
What I think some on here are forgetting is that this wasn't just a random decision - it was made after the day of Silence, where people SUPPORTING HOMOSEXUALITY wore shirts with sayings that go along with that. These girls were only responding to the others.
Remember, we can't say the homosexuals and homosexual supports can have their shirts and those who disagree can't.
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| I Must Agree... | Feb 20th. at 11:14:28 am EST
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Cwydd ap Gwydion (Hudson, New York) - Email Me
... though I do not like the message of the t-shirt, it is the freedom of this country that allows them to wear it. No one has to like the message at all.
In regard to the ACLU giving these individuals support... in the realm of law, lawyers defend those that others would just as soon hang so that they receive the due process of the law. In this instance, the individuals were looking felt their civil liberties were violated... and the ACLU was doing its job.
But this has already been said.
When we pick and choose which civil liberties are supported... we run the risk of becoming exactly like those who seek to take our own civil liberties away from us.
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| Fair Is Fair. | Feb 20th. at 10:19:43 am EST
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Furos (Huntsville, Ontario) - Email Me
"I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write."
-François-Marie Arouet, pen name Voltaire
Freedom of speach has to apply to everyone equally or none at all. Just because the ACLU personally might disagree with a case dosen't men they can just refuse to defend it- it's principle.
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| ... | Feb 20th. at 7:16:38 am EST
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
This is protected speech under the First Amendment. It's as much protected speech as some loony on a streetcorner preaching out of a Chick tract or a group of Black Israelites in Times Square screeching about a pretend "white devil."
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| The ACLU Has This One Right -- As Usual | Feb 20th. at 2:20:53 am EST
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Dan Holzman-Tweed (New York CIty, New York) - Email Me
The message on the t-shirt does not incite violence.
First Amendment rights do not end at the schoolhouse door.
Either you support the First Amendment rights of those who say things you find utterly hateful and odius, or you do not support the First Amendment.
It's always disappointing to see so many people here -- who I'm pretty sure consider themselves patriots -- demonstrate that they don't understand the rudiments of the principles upon which this nation is founded.
Thank the Gods that the ACLU understands that free speech only for popular speech is not free speech at all.
Shame on those of you who don't. You know who you are.
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| As Some One Said | Feb 20th. at 1:27:07 am EST
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booley (Saint Louis, Missouri) - Email Me
Freedom is counted by how a country treats those it despises.
As a gay guy, i can shake my head at these poor kids who think their belief in a higher power hinges on which groups they hate.
But I can still say they have a right to state their beliefs.
And so do I have a right to explain why they are wrong. i can't take away their rights without taking away my own.
Just a thought to consider the next time someone says we should not let some other group have a right we take for granted.
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| It's Funny.. | Feb 20th. at 12:01:29 am EST
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Jeff Kincaid (Lynchburg, Virginia) - Email Me
I've noticed a trend in our Pagan community. We like to complain. We complain when people are attacking us, and then we complain when people are ignoring us.
The ACLU is doing what they do...all the time. Sometimes they are on the side that we like, sometimes not, but they don't discriminate. They stand up for free speech, no matter how vile we may see it to be. Let's hope that the next time WE need the ACLU, they don't say, "Oh, but we wouldn't want to stick our stupid noses in where they don't belong now would we?"
Freedom is for everyone....or no one
Jeff
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| It's Interesting.... | Feb 19th. at 11:40:53 pm EST
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kenneth (Des Plaines, Illinois) - Email Me
How people feel the need to invest so much energy proclaiming they're anti-gay. Almost like they're fighting something internally:) I wonder if the guys who wear these around all day bother to take them off when they cruise the parks and restrooms!
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| You Have To Be There | Feb 19th. at 10:19:53 pm EST
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Mydnyht (Upton, Maine) - Email Me
Free speech is amazing. If this were a protest idea, I would be all for it (as stupid as I think the homophobic sentiments are) . HOWEVER, there are two places where I think free speech should be limited and where I do think anti-discrimination laws should exist: school and the workplace. Everyone must complete high school - by law - and use their hs education to further themselves in the job market (through college or obtaining a job immediately) . We are all expected to get a job and pay taxes to the government to be considered functioning citizens. These t-shirts are a form of discrimination, and should not be allowed in schools or the workplace because since everyone has to be there to be a functioning part of society, they shouldn't have to be offended every day. Because what's going to end up happening is people will target the one gay kid or gay worker by wearing these shirts, and then harassment happens, things could get violent... you get the idea. Like I said, to see this shirt on the street would be completely appropriate. But the school/workplace should be neutral for EVERYONE.
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| Shirt | Feb 19th. at 9:44:11 pm EST
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Kristy (West Palm Beach, Florida) - Email Me
While I disagree with what she says I will defend her right to say it. I like the straight but not narrow idea.
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| This Reminds Me | Feb 19th. at 8:58:43 pm EST
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Lori Dake (Chicago, Illinois) - Email Me - Web
of a situation at my husband's job when he was at a factory about a decade ago. There were black people who wore shirts that said,
"It's a Black Thing, You Wouldn't Understand".
Also, hispanic people who wore shirts that said, "Brown Pride".
He objected to both with HR and management, because if he showed up at work wearing a shirt that exchanged Black or Brown with White, his head would have been put on a pike!
Guess what - all shirts referring to such were immediately banned.
This case is no different, just as there is no difference in allowing religious symbols or whatnot Either allow everyone or allow no one.
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| Rebuttal For The Shirt: | Feb 19th. at 8:56:11 pm EST
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Dragonbear (Meriden, Connecticut) - Email Me
WHY NOT BE BOTH!
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| In The Words Of... | Feb 19th. at 8:20:51 pm EST
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Autumnsong (Bessemer, Alabama) - Email Me
comedian Bill Engval, "Stupid people should have to wear signs, that way everyone would have a warning" Well, That's pretty much what these shirts are doing, warning everyone who seems them that the wearer is a closed minded idiot.
As much as our civil liberties have been chipped away lately, I think we need to remember how important freedom of speech is, even when we don't like what is being said.
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