Massachusetts student denied right to wear 'two genders' shirt.
A Massachusetts district court has denied a request from the lawyers of a 12-year-old student to wear a t-shirt expressing his views on gender.
Liam Morrison, a seventh-grader at Nichols Middle School in Middleborough, was barred from wearing a shirt that read "there are only two genders." The school claimed that Morrison's message was not inclusive and could cause disruption in the classroom.
However, Morrison's legal team argues that other students are allowed to express their views on gender in a non-disruptive manner.
Morrison was pulled out of gym class and ordered to remove the shirt in question on March 21.
When he refused, his father was called to take him home.
The school staff reportedly told Morrison that his shirt was "targeting a protected class" and creating a disruption to learning because it was making some people feel "unsafe." Morrison wore another shirt to class that read "there are only censored genders" and was pulled out of class within minutes and ordered to remove it.
He questioned who the "protected class" was that he had offended.
The lawsuit argues that the school's promotion of Pride month and other LGBTQ initiatives while barring Morrison from expressing his contrary views constitutes a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, which guarantee equal protection under the law.
The next hearing is scheduled for June 13.
Liam Morrison, a seventh-grader at Nichols Middle School in Middleborough, was barred from wearing a shirt that read "there are only two genders." The school claimed that Morrison's message was not inclusive and could cause disruption in the classroom.
However, Morrison's legal team argues that other students are allowed to express their views on gender in a non-disruptive manner.
Morrison was pulled out of gym class and ordered to remove the shirt in question on March 21.
When he refused, his father was called to take him home.
The school staff reportedly told Morrison that his shirt was "targeting a protected class" and creating a disruption to learning because it was making some people feel "unsafe." Morrison wore another shirt to class that read "there are only censored genders" and was pulled out of class within minutes and ordered to remove it.
He questioned who the "protected class" was that he had offended.
The lawsuit argues that the school's promotion of Pride month and other LGBTQ initiatives while barring Morrison from expressing his contrary views constitutes a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, which guarantee equal protection under the law.
The next hearing is scheduled for June 13.