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Principal Outs Gay Student Couple
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: April 29, 2008 - 1:00 pm ET
(Memphis, Tennessee) A public high school
principal who posted the names of two boys on a list of students believed to be
couples, revealing their relationship to their parents as well as other students
and teachers, violated the students’ constitutional right to freedom of
association, the American Civil Liberties Union charged Tuesday.
In a letter to school board officials in Memphis,
the ACLU demanded that the school reprimand the principal and take steps to
ensure such actions never happen again.
In September of 2007, the principal at Hollis F.
Price Middle College High told teachers she wanted the names of all student
couples, “hetero and homo,” because she wanted to monitor them personally to
prevent students from engaging in public displays of affection.
The two students now represented by the ACLU,
Andrew and Nicholas (who have asked that their last names not be revealed), were
two A students who had been seeing each other for a short time and were
attempting to keep their relationship quiet and private.
The principal heard about them through another
student, then wrote their names on a list she posted next to her desk, in full
view of anyone who entered her office.
One of the boys’ mothers personally witnessed
the list when she met with the principal a few days later.
“I couldn’t believe it when I went to meet
with the principal and that list was right there by her desk where anyone could
see it,” said Andrea, Andrew’s mother.
“African American people face enough
obstacles to succeeding in this world and I want my son to have every
opportunity he’s worked so hard for. Our schools should be helping our
children do well, not tearing them down for something like this.”
Although the boys had never been observed by any
school staff engaging in any sort of display of affection, the principal called
Nicholas’s mother Nichole.
According to Nichole, the principal said things
like “Did you know your son is gay?” repeatedly and went on to say that she
didn’t like gay people and wouldn’t tolerate homosexuality at her school.
Both students say they’ve had to deal with
verbal harassment from both teachers and students since word got out around the
school about their principal’s actions.
According to Nicholas, he also suffered another
consequence of the principal’s discrimination. He had submitted
extensive paperwork and several recommendations from teachers for a school trip
to New Orleans to assist in rebuilding efforts.
Having a long history of community service, he
was considered a shoo-in to be selected to go before the incident, but then a
teacher told Nicholas some faculty were afraid he might “embarrass the
school” or engage in “inappropriate behavior.”
A few days later, another student who hadn’t
even applied to go on the trip was selected in his place.
“We never bothered anyone or did a single thing
at school that broke any of the rules,” said Nicholas, a junior and honor
student. “Every day I feel like they’re still punishing me, and I’m
worried that this is going to hurt my chances to get into a good college.”
“The principal’s outing of these two students
to their families, classmates, and teachers is unacceptable. Its only purpose
was to intimidate not only these students but all gay students at Hollis
Price,” said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director at the ACLU of Tennessee.
“Educators should be focused on educating their
students and not on harassing them because of their sexual orientation or the
people with whom they associate.”
School officials have already confirmed the
existence of the list to the ACLU in prior meetings held in an attempt to
resolve the matter privately the union said.
In Tuesday’s letter to the Memphis City Schools
Board of Commissioners, the ACLU points out that the principal ordered the boys
not to even walk or study together at school.
“This is a public high school that runs on
taxpayer dollars. As such, it is part of the government and must obey the
Constitution in dealing with the students entrusted to its care each day,”
said Bruce Kramer, a partner at Borod and Kramer in Memphis who also is working
on the case.
“This school has no business singling these
boys out and taking away educational opportunities against them simply because
they were dating.”
©365Gay.com 2008
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