Federal Appeals Court rules against seventh grader who wore ‘Only Two Genders’ T-Shirt

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Important Takeaways:

  • The incident first occurred on March 5 when Liam Morrison was pulled from gym class and asked to remove his shirt because other students were allegedly complaining and did not feel safe
  • The seventh grader was told by a staff member that his shirt was “targeting a protected class.”  Morrison said he would not change his shirt, and the school called his father to pick him up.
  • During a Middleborough Public Schools board meeting on April 13, Morrison shared his experience with the intention that the school district should show more support for students’ First Amendment rights.
  • Morrison’s parents filed a lawsuit, arguing that the school violated his First Amendment rights. Earlier this year, a district court ruled against the parents, which the appeals court affirmed this week
  • “This case isn’t about T-shirts; it’s about a public school telling a middle-schooler that he isn’t allowed to express a view that differs from their own,” David Cortman, Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel and vice president of U.S. Litigation, said in a statement following the federal court’s decision
  • Cortman said the legal system is “built on the truth that the government cannot silence any speaker just because it disapproves of what they say.”

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