Christian Students Considering Lawsuit Over Suspensions
by Jim Brown
May 3, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Christian students who were punished by their California high school for protesting its celebration of an annual pro-homosexual event are threatening to sue over the incident.
Thirteen students at Oakmont High School in Roseville were suspended last week for refusing to remove shirts displaying the message: "Homosexuality is sin. Jesus can set you free." The students were countering the "Day of Silence," a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The event is designed to protest what GLSEN describes as "anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) name-calling, bullying, and harassment" in schools. Meantime, with the blessing of the school district, other students on campus were wearing shirts openly promoting homosexuality.
Brad Dacus is president of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), which is representing the thirteen suspended students free of charge. A lawsuit is "very likely," says the attorney.
"We've already entered the first phase of that through filing an administrative complaint with the school district," Dacus says. "And make no mistake: this school district in the end, we believe, will learn a valuable lesson -- that they cannot engage in the indoctrination of children into homosexuality and expect to be able to silence the First Amendment rights of those Christian students bold enough to speak up."
The PJI head believes a recent ruling out of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals prohibiting such religious expression will not stand long. "We believe that [the ruling] clearly trounces on the established case law and precedents with regards to the free-speech rights of students," he says, adding that he is both "hopeful and confident" the ruling will be either reversed or overturned before the full Ninth Circuit or before the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to a PJI press release, several students who came to school wearing the "Homosexuality is sin" T-shirts were given an ultimatum by school officials: remove the shirts, or face disciplinary action. When the thirteen students chose to stand firm and were suspended for two days, the school principal explained the action by saying "Many kids were upset because their shirts were rude." The legal firm points out the school evidently did not take into account where religious students may have been equally offended by pro-homosexual expressions on other students' shirts.
"Tolerance must be a two-way street," says Dacus. "Our society cannot afford the suppression of religious viewpoints just because some people disagree with or don't like those views."
At least one leader in the Sacramento Regional Gay Straight Alliance seems to understand that concept. The Sacramento Bee quotes high school student Lance Chih as saying, "If they're stating their own belief that homosexuality is wrong, that's not promoting hate or violence against us. If I want to promote my civil rights, I can't tell another group of students that they can't do it."
The PJI press release notes that students at other nearby high schools in Sacramento and Citrus Heights were suspended for similar actions.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
