Judge Rules Against Anti-gay Principal who Allows Confederate Flag Wearing

I posted a while back on the case of Heather Gillman, a junior at Ponce de Leon High School, in Florida who with the help of the ACLU had challenged a ban in her high school against wearing LGBT supportive slogans or symbols. Meanwhile, wearing the Confederate flag was totally fine by the school's principal. These family values types only care about straight, white Christians and to Hell with anyone else's rights. I can only wonder about the principal's obsession with visulizing gay sex - a closet case, perhaps? In any event, today, a judge ruled against the high school and vindicated Ms. Gillman. Here are some highlights from the ACLU website:

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PANAMA CITY, FL – After a two-day trial in which a Florida high school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture gay people having sex, a federal judge today ruled that the school violated students’ First Amendment rights of students. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a junior at the school who had been forbidden by her principal to wear any sort of clothing, stickers, buttons, or symbols to show her support of equal rights for gay people.

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Judge Richard Smoak of the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, Panama City Division, issued an order that forces the school to stop its unconstitutional censorship of students who want to express their support for the fair and equal treatment of gay people. The judge also warned the district not to retaliate against students over the lawsuit.

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During the trial, which was held in Panama City yesterday and today, Ponce de Leon High School’s principal David Davis admitted under oath that he had banned students from wearing any clothing or symbols supporting equal rights for gay people. Davis also testified that he believed rainbows were “sexually suggestive” and would make students unable to study because they’d be picturing gay sex acts in their mind. The principal went on to admit that while censoring rainbows and gay pride messages he allowed students to wear other symbols many find controversial, such as the Confederate flag.

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Gillman v. Holmes County School District, case no. 5:08-cv-34, was heard in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida. A copy of the ACLU’s complaint as well as the earlier letter and the school’s response can be downloaded at: www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/33859res20080131.html.