"Homsexuality Is Shameful" Kid Loses

[sunoftheskye]

In a case that has been underway since 2004, U.S. District Judge John Houston ruled Tuesday in favor of school officials who pulled Tyler Chase Harper from class for wearing an anti-gay T-shirt.

"Tyler Harper sued the Poway Unified School District in 2004 alleging his freedom of speech and religion rights were violated when he was pulled out of class earlier that year. The self-described Christian wore a shirt during the school 'Day of Silence,' which is intended to promote tolerance of gays and lesbians. The shirt said 'I Will Not Accept What God Has Condemned' on one side and 'Homosexuality is Shameful, Romans 1:27' on the other. Harper was removed from class, but not otherwise disciplined. His suit was aimed at a school district policy aimed at eliminating 'hate behavior' that offended students in certain minority groups based on race, gender or sexual preference."

After Harper graduated, the case continued with his sister Kelsie as a replacement plaintiff.

In Tuesday's ruling, Houston "wrote that a school 'interest in protecting homosexual students from harassment is a legitimate pedagogical concern that allows a school to restrict speech expressing damaging statements about sexual orientation and limiting students to expressing their views in a positive manner.'"

The San Diego Union Tribune adds: "While the school district has won three previous rulings, lawyers for the students and free speech activists said Houston's ruling has the potential of greatly expanding school officials' power to censor student speech."

 

[Lube]

Bigotry is shameful.

 

[SamsDad]

The other piece tape must have fallen off --------------
"unless acted upon".

 

[hottie1982]

Sadly, bigotry is everywhere!

 

[TygreBryte]

The other piece tape must have fallen off --------------
"unless acted upon".

on the nose!

 

[Spellbound]

Bigotry is shameful.

word

....

 

[Croynan]

he should be ashamed of himself.

agreed. what a pious and a "hollier than thou" hypocrite.

someone should have been wearing a shirt that said ban all Christians.- they are bigots. i wonder how he would have felt if that shirt had appeared on campus.

eM.

 

[Sausy]

As disgraceful as his actions are,I am with the free speech advocates....his negative speech can always best be countered by those who will challenge him and the narrow thinking of these kinds of so-called Christians.It is easy to silence speech we don't agree with,but I'd rather challenge those who oppose us in the sunlight of free expression than by censoring them.It is the ignorant and small minded who have more to fear from our freedom to challenge,to hold their feet to the fire for what they say and stand for,then for us to have to look at a noxious shirt.So long as the speech remains free from the intimidation of threats of violence,even speech we find abhorrent should be as vigorously protected as what is what we fiercely,devotedly believe in.

The muzzle of political correctness,of right-thinking does us no justice.We cannot compel people to think as we do,but must set the better example so those that live in the darkness can be forced into the light and be held responsible for their bigotry.

 

[Críostóir]

This is one of those things that feels like a victory, but is actually a defeat. Who do you think is more likely to be censored by a school authority: a gay student or an anti-gay one?

I'm glad this asshole kid (cute, though, isn't he?) lost, but I think we lost more.

I bet he's sucking cock in men's rooms.

 

[WYSIWYG]

A public school system is NOT the place for a forum for freedom of speech. I disagree with Sausy on this. The School committee sets what is to be taught and to promote tolorence toward fellow students. Who you prefer the gay and lesbian students be threatened, beaten etc., for freedom of speech? I think not!

Checked lately how many freedoms you have lost under Bush? Better check mate.....you even need 2 photo ID's to get a drivers license. And no derogatory
t-shirts or pics of our dear pres. if you want to board an airplane!

 

[josher]

When I was his age, I believed a lot of things that I eventually realized were incorrect, stupid or even reprehensible.

I believed them because some older authority figure(s) had taught me to believe them.

When I was older, had more experience and learned to think for my self, I abandoned those ideas.

This boy was very young at the time (and still is.) Maybe he'll change his beliefs some day, maybe he won't, but what he believes now is just what some adults have taught him to believe.

They deserve a lot more censure than he does.

 

[Pushover]

Bigotry is shameful.

QTF



(that means Quoted For Truth)

 

[senorserio]

If that shirt had used racial or sexist language, I wonder what the reaction would have been?

 

[Sausy]

A public school system is NOT the place for a forum for freedom of speech. I disagree with Sausy on this. The School committee sets what is to be taught and to promote tolorence toward fellow students. Who you prefer the gay and lesbian students be threatened, beaten etc., for freedom of speech? I think not!

Checked lately how many freedoms you have lost under Bush? Better check mate.....you even need 2 photo ID's to get a drivers license. And no derogatory
t-shirts or pics of our dear pres. if you want to board an airplane!

Of course in a high school situation,there is a bit more room for restrictions...anything that advocates violence or makes threats absolutely should not be allowed.But we are preparing our young people for college and the adult world at large,and we should make certain that in trying to protect our children,we also give them the tools and knowledge to use that freedom of speech /expression to defeat those who though they may have a right to express themselves,speak from ignorance and bigotry.It is the culture of bigotry and prejudice that must be fought,not merely the symptoms.In silencing the enemy you give them more than in challenging them openly.I respectfully disagree with you,even though I understand how you feel...it IS hard to deal with these people,....but freedom is not easy,and the hard thing ultimately is the right thing to do oftentimes.

 

[sunoftheskye]

Well, I don't see why this is an issue, frankly. He wasn't harrassing anyone; why did the school say they pulled him out of class to "(protect) homosexual students from harassment"? He was stating his own opinion. This is why America is such a stupid place to live; people can get nailed for doing nothing. Isn't free speech a part of the Constitution?

Because this is a public school. It is the school's responsibility to make sure students feel safe in their learning environment. It's pretty difficult to do that when sitting across from you in a classroom is someone's shirt saying you're shameful.

 

[Pushover]

Because this is a public school. It is the school's responsibility to make sure students feel safe in their learning environment. It's pretty difficult to do that when sitting across from you in a classroom is someone's shirt saying you're shameful.

It's also a distraction from the learning environment. If students keep staring at the shirt because of it's loud statement, they're not paying attention to their work or the teacher.

 

[sabot3ur]

but if he had a shirt that said "black people are shameful," would he have his "right to free speech" then?

it's morons like him that make people like us hate high school. and for what reason? him being a sheep, and not THINKING.

I don't like his face...

 

[Críostóir]

but if he had a shirt that said "black people are shameful," would he have his "right to free speech" then?

it's morons like him that make people like us hate high school. and for what reason? him being a sheep, and not THINKING.

I don't like his face...

I like his face, but it'd look better with a dick in its mouth.

 

[RationalLunacy]

I'd like to hang a sign on his back that says:

"FUCK ME"

 

[eddielee]

That kid didn't become a homophobe with out some help. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Schools should not allow students to wear any clothes with controversial slogans or images on them. The School I went to didn't allow such things.