A gay high school student in southwest Ohio is suing his school district over the ban of a t-shirt that read, “Jesus is Not Homophobe.” Maverick Couch, 16, says Tuesday’s lawsuit stems from the district’s false claim that the t-shirt was “sexual in nature and therefore indecent and inappropriate in a school setting” and prohibited the teen’s right to free speech.
Couch wore the t-shirt in observance of the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s National Day of Silence, an annual event that calls attention to the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens.
Lambda Legal, an organization for the protection of LGBT people, filed suit on Tuesday against Waynesville School District asking for a temporary restraining order so that Couch would be allowed to wear the shirt on an upcoming National Day of Silence.
“Schools should be places of learning and development and that includes a student’s right to express who they are and what they believe in,” said Eliza Byard, the executive director of the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network. “It seems however, the school district is engaging in the very kind of bullying that creates unsafe school climates.”
Waynesville High School has not returned media requests for comment.
