McKINNEY, Texas — Two students at a Texas middle school were sent home on Wednesday, and several others were told to cover up their “Gay O.K.” message they wore emblazoned on their T-shirts because school officials said the message was a “distraction.”

The shirts were worn as silent support for a Faubion Middle School seventh grader who recently came out as gay and, as a result, was bullied by other schoolmates, reports KXAS-TV.

“Being gay is OK. And it is OK to be open about it,” said classmate Anna Thompson, who was one of at least 15 students who wore the “Gay O.K.” shirts to school.

But administrators instead focused on a portion of the dress code that states, “Any disruptive or distractive mode of clothing or appearance that adversely impacts the educational process is not permitted.”

KXAS-TV reports: