ACLU SUES FLORIDA PANHANDLE Highschool for surppressing speech

SoWal Insider

Jan 31, '08 · 1:27 PM9,1351

School Suggests Students Who Support Gay Rights Are an ?Illegal Organization?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 31, 2008

CONTACT:
Alex Bassil,Assistant Communications Director, (Miami) 786-363-2723 or at: abassil@aclufl.org
Chris Hampton, ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, (New York) 212-549-2673 or at: champton@aclu.org

The ACLU will hold a press conference via telephone this afternoon at 3:30pm CST/4:30 EST. The plaintiff and her attorneys will be available at that time to answer questions.

PONCE DE LEON, FL ? A Florida high school has been trampling the First Amendment rights of students who support equal rights for gay people, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union. In its lawsuit, the ACLU describes an atmosphere of fear and censorship at Ponce de Leon High School, where the school board?s attorney says even expressions like a rainbow sticker may mean students are members of an ?illegal organization.? Ponce de Leon High School is located in Holmes County in the Florida Panhandle.

?All any of us wants to do is be able to talk about gay rights issues without having to be scared,? said Heather Gillman, a 16-year-old junior and straight student at the school. ?Nobody should have to worry about being kicked out of school just for having a rainbow sticker on your notebook.?

The ACLU sent a letter in November to the school board?s attorney on behalf of Gillman, asking for clarification as to whether a variety of symbols and slogans, such as the rainbow flag or ?I support my gay friends,? would be allowed at the school. The school district replied that it would not allow any expressions of support for gay rights at all because such speech would ?likely be disruptive.? The district then went even further, claiming that such symbols and slogans were signs that students were part of a ?secret/illegal organization.? The letter was sent after Gillman and other students approached the ACLU about an atmosphere in which students say they were routinely intimidated by school officials and prohibited from engaging in such behavior as writing ?gay pride? on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothing. According to students, problems began in September when a lesbian student tried to report to school officials that she was being harassed by other students. Instead of addressing the harassment, students say school officials responded with intimidation and censorship.

?Because the Supreme Court has held that students have a right to free speech at school unless that speech disrupts the educational process, many administrators think they can just slap the label ?disruptive? on anything they don?t like and get away with stomping on students? First Amendment rights. The law doesn?t work that way,? said Benjamin James Stevenson, ACLU of Florida staff attorney who is representing Gillman. . ?School should be a marketplace of ideas, where students share new ideas and learn about themselves and others. Just talking about gay rights or any other topic outside of class isn?t inherently disruptive.?

In the complaint filed today, the ACLU asked the court for an injunction to stop Ponce de Leon High School officials from suppressing students? First Amendment rights in the future.

?Writing something like ?I support gay rights? on your notebook doesn?t mean you?re part of some secret conspiracy or shadowy organization,? said Christine Sun, a staff attorney with the ACLU?s national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. ?Schools shouldn?t be in the business of trying to frighten students into silence.?

Ponce de Leon High School is located in Holmes County, halfway between Pensacola and Tallahassee, in Florida?s Panhandle. According to the school?s website, about 400 students are enrolled there. Heather Gillman is represented by Stevenson and Robert Rosenwald of the ACLU of Florida and Sun of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project

Gillman v. Holmes County School District, case no. 5:08-cv-34 was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida, Panama City Division. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Smoak. A copy of today?s complaint as well as the ACLU?s earlier letter and the school?s response can be downloaded at http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/33859res20080131.html

For more information on the ACLU?s LGBT advocacy work, visit www.aclufl.org or www.aclu.org/lgbt

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[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']American Civil Liberties Union of Florida - www.aclufl.[/font]

Replies

Beach Fanatic

Jan 31, '08 · 5:00 PM#27

We just finished the conference. There were reporters from New York to Tampa on the line. I would not be surprised that this story goes national by tomorrow or Saturday. Some of the reporters that "ain't from around here;-)"really latched onto the fact that Ponce has no black students as well.

That is like CNN called the Elections Office at the last election saying they were sending a satellite truck to Gaskin to interview people. They said it was a Florida precinct with no minority registered voters so they knew something was going on up there. Pretty funny, I think 12 people voted that day.

SoWal InsiderAuthor

Jan 31, '08 · 5:04 PM#28

That is like CNN called the Elections Office at the last election saying they were sending a satellite truck to Gaskin to interview people. They said it was a Florida precinct with no minority registered voters so they knew something was going on up there. Pretty funny, I think 12 people voted that day.

Some of the questions they ask this kid even had me rolling my eyeballs. I just sat back and let Ben,their lawyer out of the Pensacola office, guide them back on track. They were digging hard though and it's gonna break in the next couple of days.

Beach Fanatic

Jan 31, '08 · 5:05 PM#29

Some of the questions they ask this kid even had me rolling my eyeballs. I just sat back and let Ben,their lawyer out of the Pensacola office, guide them back on track. They were digging hard though and it's gonna break in the next couple of days.

I wonder if I can get Hannity or O'Reilly to do a fundraiser while they are in the area. lol!

SoWal Expert

Jan 31, '08 · 5:07 PM#30

Thanks A- I'm looking forward to reading this a bit closer later! I'm sure I will need a drink to stomach it. :bang:

SoWal InsiderAuthor

Jan 31, '08 · 5:08 PM#31

I wonder if I can get Hannity or O'Reilly to do a fundraiser while they are in the area. lol!

You're bad :wub:

Oh, by the by, I promise to not wear an offensive T-shirt, have my press creds at the ready and try to be an all around good girl on Saturday. :cool:

SoWal InsiderAuthor

Jan 31, '08 · 5:12 PM#32

Thanks A- I'm looking forward to reading this a bit closer later! I'm sure I will need a drink to stomach it.

My editor suggested a nice Merlot and a hot bath for me tonight :blush:

SoWal InsiderAuthor

Jan 31, '08 · 6:35 PM#33

Wow......it's everywhere.

[ame="http://www.google.com/search?q=aclu+sues+florida+panhandle+school&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US

fficial&client=firefox-a"]aclu sues florida panhandle school - Google Search[/ame]

SoWal Expert

Jan 31, '08 · 7:20 PM#34

Wow......it's everywhere.

http://www.google.com/search?q=aclu...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

As it should be. Thanks to the ACLU for helping. :clap:

Banned

Feb 3, '08 · 10:23 PM#35

between this, the high school shutting down the play production and this site attacking and censoring my thread regarding gangs in the area, i'm SO not suprised. there's alot of fear here about ideas and information. it's quite tragic, really. we're sending the kids to school elsewhere for sure. we can't afford to have them grow up ignorant and afraid of ideas as so many people here seem to be. plus they will be in danger if people continue to live in denial.

Beach Fanatic

Feb 3, '08 · 10:45 PM#36

between this, the high school shutting down the play production and this site attacking and censoring my thread regarding gangs in the area, i'm SO not suprised. there's alot of fear here about ideas and information. it's quite tragic, really. we're sending the kids to school elsewhere for sure. we can't afford to have them grow up ignorant and afraid of ideas as so many people here seem to be. plus they will be in danger if people continue to live in denial.

Weren't you just fear-mongering and race-baiting on another thread?:scratch:

Banned

Feb 3, '08 · 11:05 PM#37

Weren't you just fear-mongering and race-baiting on another thread?:scratch:

more threats and attacks for saying something that's not pre-approved?
ewwww. i hate to use the "r" word, but seriously. the "redneck" quotient here is scary!

this response makes me feel even about our decision to get the kids out of here and around some educated people with open minds. i was warned this is how people behave here. don't you have some books to burn?

Beach Fanatic

Feb 4, '08 · 8:52 AM#38

Sorry to see you go. :wave:

Banned

Feb 4, '08 · 10:07 AM#39

Sorry to see you go.

yes, just the response to a 'dang fereigner' i'd exepect from here.
don't expect any investors from overseas here anytime soon.
but then, that would be terrifying for you wouldn't it.

SoWal Expert

Feb 4, '08 · 10:26 AM#40

You and the GIANT chip on your shoulder should definitely hit the road! :wave:

Hint: People's reaction to you has very little (if anything) to do with your ethnicity or country of origin.

Banned

Feb 4, '08 · 7:17 PM#41

You and the GIANT chip on your shoulder should definitely hit the road!

Hint: People's reaction to you has very little (if anything) to do with your ethnicity or country of origin.

whatever you backwoods hillbillies! cue deliverance music! hahaha!
i'll take these nasty abusive responses for what they are...fearmongering.

Beach Fanatic

Feb 4, '08 · 9:31 PM#42

Actually, my deputy sheriff spouse is a HillBilly. Since I grew up in SoWal, I'm technically a FishHead. Our son is a BeachBilly.

Make fun of me/us all you want. Meanwhile, I'm watching what's happening in PDL, as the issue of gay students hit home last year in my extended family.