Tennessee student ordered to change ‘gay’ Lady Gaga t-shirt

A Tennessee high school student’s mother said her son’s rights were violated by school officials who made him remove a T-shirt bearing the word “gay.”

Julie Gordon, mother of Cole Goforth, said officials at Greenbrier High School violated her 15-year-old son’s freedom of speech and expression by sending him home to change out of a T-shirt reading: “I Heart Lady Gay Gay,” a play on the name of singer Lady Gaga, reports WSMV-TV.

Cole and his mother said they feel he is being singled out for his orientation and method of dress. “I just think my sexuality isn’t widely accepted around here, so of course they are going to single me out,” he said.

Danny Weeks, assistant director of the school board, said: “We’ve had a few disruptions the last few days, and we thought the slogan on that shirt would continue to escalate those incidents that had occurred.”

Lady GaGa has since Tweeted Cole, offering her support.

School Cancels Prom Over Lesbian Couple, Lawsuit Filed Against School

18-year-old Constance McMillen is filing a lawsuit against her Mississippi high school, after the school’s prom was cancelled when she asked to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

ABC News reports that according to the lawsuit, the couple must arrive seperately, and “if any of the other students complained about their presence there together,” they could be thrown out. According to the lawsuit, the school says that boys are supposed to attend in tuxedos and girls in dresses.

McMillen has been facing issues in school since the incident, people were being hostile towards her for the cancellation. A student told her “thanks for ruining my senior year,” according to the Associated Press.

The media has been all over this story, with people posting the story throughout social networking sites, and creating Facebook Fan Pages for her. On her Facebook profile, people have been showing their support, and one even went so far as to inviting her to be flown out to an LGBT-friendly prom.

Equalitopia has requested an interview with Constance, but has not yet received a reply.

Did your high school allow same-sex couples to proms? Reblog with your reply.

America’s Opinion: Gays Receive the Most Discrimination.

A report by Pew Research:

A plurality of the public (45%) believes that gays and lesbians face “a lot” of bias – roughly double the proportions that see widespread discrimination against blacks (18%) or Hispanics (23%), and three-to five-times the proportion that sees similarly high levels of prejudice directed at women, Asian Americans or whites. The latest Pew Research survey of racial attitudes finds that overall, nearly eight-in-ten (78%) adults say gays and lesbians face at least “some” discrimination. Even blacks see discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as more pervasive than racial bias against blacks.

Broken down by ethnicity:

Breaking it down further, respondents who say gays & lesbians receive “a lot” of discrimination:

• 43% of Whites
• 55% of Blacks
• 47% of Hispanics
• 45% Overall

Read the full report »

Statewide School Laws and Policies

Dark blue: States with law that addresses discrimination, harassment and/or bullying of students based on sexual orientation and gender identity (10 states and D.C.)

Light blue: States with law that addresses discrimination, harassment and/or bullying of students based on sexual orientation (14 states and D.C.)

* Regulations and Ethical Codes of Conduct: States with school regulation or ethical code for teachers that addresses discrimination, harassment and/or bullying of students based on sexual orientation (3 states)

** Policies/No Categories: States that prohibit bullying in schools but list no categories of protection (24 states)

(via the Human Rights Campaign)

fuckyeahlgbt:

From Think Before You Speak.

Tell someone today why it’s wrong to use homophobic slurs and pass on the message.