Wednesday, November 24, 2004

More shout outs

I once got called into the principle's office and asked to tone down an editorial I wrote about racism in my high school. I complied a bit too readily and changed a few sentences to soften the tone of what I was saying. Since then have often wished I had been a bit more like Brad Mathewson who was sent home from school for wearing a t-shirt that "bore a pink triangle and said 'Make a Difference!" Brad was quoted here talking about how he sees anti-gay stickers and slogans on his classmates' notebooks and shirts. NYT reports he is keeping up the good fight though:

"A week later, Mr. Mathewson was again admonished for wearing a gay pride T-shirt, this one featuring a rainbow and the inscription "I'm gay and I'm proud." Told once more to turn the shirt instead out or leave, he chose to go home and was eventually ordered not to return to school wearing clothing supporting gay rights."

Fortunately, the ACLU has taken up his case with a law suit against the Missouri High School. Also, he appears to have his mom in his corner. The article continues:

"In a telephone interview, Ms. Mathewson said: "All he wants is to wear his T-shirts. He's a typical teenager, so he's angry that they're trying to tell him what he can and can't do. We had a meeting at the school to talk about it, but we didn't get anywhere with them. They talked, I listened, and I got more and more mad. At the end I just took him home with me."

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