Middle School Student Outed By School, Disciplined For Not Changing

[elfs]

Thomas McLaughlin, a student in middle school in Little Rock, Arkansas, is suing his school. The complaint alleges that McLaughlin's confidentiality was violated by the school, that teachers actively called his parents to complain about his apparent sexual orientation, that school officials preached to McLaughlin and compelled him to read anti-gay Bible verses aloud (and threatened to expel him if he revealed the punishment), and disciplined for having a conversation with a female student as to whether or not a boy was "cute." The girl was not reprimanded.

The allegations, if true, are still a reminded that the battle for equal rights is not over.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

This is pretty disgusting. I'm not quite sure what to say about it. I guess all I can say is I'm glad that in my school we don't have problems like that. We even have a few openly gay teachers. There is a small contingent of jocks who are violently homophobic, but they don't seem to be getting replaced as they graduate. It's nice to know youth is getting more accepting of homosexuality, or at least indifferent.

-fluffy

[dougs.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=dougs&itemid=88045

Jesus Christ....

[grayfoxofwinter.livejournal.com]

Are these people insane? Are they just ignoring nearly 40 years of state and federal constitutional doctrine just on the basis of being in Arkansas? Forcing him to read the bible? bible preaching as teachers during class time?

Man, these people are just begging and asking for a federal lawsuit, and folks, sovreign immunity doesn't apply to the federal courts. If the schools are awarded a judgement for 1 million, they gotta pay it, regardless of what the state laws say.