Politics
Thursday June 3, 2004
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
California Student Sues School over Punishment for Wearing "Homosexuality is Shameful" T-Shirt
LOS ANGELES, June 3, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A federal civil rights lawsuit filed today charges that the Poway Unified School District violated the constitutional rights of a student and censored his free speech. The school district threatened further punishment and suspended the student for expressing his religious faith on a T-shirt during a school day designated to promote homosexuality. A school administrator told the student to "leave his faith in the car" when his faith might offend others.
"In this age of alleged tolerance, such a statement is disappointing, to put it mildly," said Robert Tyler, counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. "Public school students don't surrender their First Amendment rights when they enter the building. When are public school officials going to learn they are not allowed to silence constitutionally protected student speech just because they disagree with the student? This is unconstitutional suppression of speech and an illegal suspension from school."
The homemade lettering on the front of the T-shirt read "Be Ashamed" and "Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned." The back of the shirt read "Homosexuality is Shameful" and "Romans 1:27."
Harper v. Poway was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. ADF represents Chase Harper. Harper refused to compromise his religious beliefs and First Amendment rights and was suspended for simply wearing the homemade message on his T-shirt during the so-called "Day of Silence" sponsored by the school district's "Gay-Straight Alliance."
"This arbitrary and unconscionable punishment violates our client's rights to freedom of speech, his free exercise of religion, and his right to equal protection of the law guaranteed to him in the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution," Tyler said.
ADF is a legal alliance of more than 700 attorneys defending religious liberty through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- McCain Stresses Role as Maverick, War Vet, Makes Bipartisan Appeal in Acceptance Speech
- Foiled Again - Attempt to Paint Palin as Slashing Funds to Teen Moms Proven False
- EU Seeks Legal Means to Shut Up Eurosceptic Bloggers
- Comments on September 5, 2008 News
- Sarah Palin News Highlights 2
- Speaker Pelosi "in Opposition" to Church Teaching on Abortion: San Francisco Archbishop
- CRTC Nixes Christian Radio Proposals, Supports Porn TV
- BC Court Ruling Means only Pro-Abortion Information is Allowed Inside Bubble Zones
- One Month Till 16th Annual Catholic Week of Prayer and Fasting for Life - October 5-13, 2008
- "Anti-Catholic" Union Advocating Homosexual Agenda May Face Human Rights Commission
- Brazilian Health Minister Gives False Testimony in Eugenic Abortion Case
- U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Launches New Stem Cell Research and Anti-Abortion Ads
- N. Ireland Pro-life Group launches 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting to Stop Abortion Threat
- Ottawa Gears Up for 40 Days for Life Rally
Most Read this Week
- USCCB Delivers One Last Blow to "Catholic" Pelosi on Abortion Remarks
- Lawsuit: Young Pro-lifers Jailed, Shackled, Strip Searched for Peacefully Sharing Message
- Exclusive: Sources Reveal Internal Uproar over Vatican Conference Promoting Organ Donation
- British Government Chooses Hitler-Loving Abortion Movement Pioneer for Stamps
- Prominent Psychiatrist: "No Particular Need for Sex-Education"
- Sarah Palin Delivers Gutsy Acceptance Speech
- Obama Launches Ad Campaign Attacking McCain for Pro-Life Policy
- Potential Vice-President of the United States of America - Who is Sarah Palin?
- Scotland Bishops Oppose "Sexual Orientation Discrimination" Bill
- Brazilian Homeschoolers Score Surprise Victory in Showdown Against Government
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.