The parents of a middle school boy disciplined for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “There are only two genders” are planning to sue the staff of his school in Middleborough, Massachusetts.
Liam Morrison, 12, was removed from his seventh-grade classroom in late March and ordered to take off his shirt. Then, on May 5, he was asked again to change his T-shirt when he wore another one adorned with the message, “There are censored genders.”
CBN News’ Gary Lane covered the initial matter:
“I have been told that my shirt was targeting a protected class,” he said. “Who is this protected class? Are their feelings more important than my rights? I don’t complain when I see Pride flags and diversity posters hung throughout the school. Do you know why? Because others have a right to their beliefs just as I do. Even I, at 12 years old, have my own political opinions and I have a right to express those opinions.”
“Even at school,” he continued, “this right is called the First Amendment to the Constitution.”
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Morrison added he had no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings. Rather, he simply wanted to wear a T-shirt that communicated his perspective on sexuality and gender identity, an increasingly divisive topic in today’s cultural climate.
The Massachusetts Family Institute is representing Morrison and his family in the matter.
Sam Whiting, a staff attorney for MFI, told Fox News he would be filing a lawsuit against the school on Morrison’s behalf “in the near future,” though he declined to offer a specific date.
“We believe that we’re going to get a win on this,” Whiting said. “I mean, I really can’t think of a better fact pattern to vindicate a student’s First Amendment rights.”
He added, “Liam has the same right in school to discuss [his views on sexuality] as he would anywhere else, as long as he’s not causing a disruption that … affects the operations of the school.”
In a statement of his own, the middle schooler reiterated he was not intending to target or bully anyone who might identify as LGBT. He simply wanted to share his own perspective on the issue.
“Always fight for what you believe in and, well, never let anyone stop you from believing,” Morrison said. “To be honest, in the place that we live — or in the time that we live — there are a lot of people that try and make it so that you’re not allowed to believe what you can. But, it’s being taken away from us. And being able to speak up not just about your own opinion, but for everybody else.”
You can watch the video above to learn more about the initial story from CBN News.
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