Bisexual teen sent home from school for refusing to take off 'offensive' Queer t-shirt



A bisexual high school student was sent home because a teacher and a school official claimed that his t-shirt, which said Queer + Straight = Equal, was offensive.

The issue, says student Jesse Irey, of Liberty, Missouri, was with the word 'queer.'

He was asked to take off the shirt and when he refused he was ordered to go home.

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Ordered home: Jesse Irey says he was told to leave Liberty High School because of his gay equality t-shirt Now Jesse has called upon the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the school's actions constituted illegal censorship.

Jesse says that by wearing the t-shirt he was simply showing his support for equal rights for all.

He said: 'Liberty is supposed to be a "hate free zone," that's one of our shirts.

The offending t-shirt: The green and pink t-shirt with 'queer + str8 = equal' 'What people are trying to do is take the word back so it's not an offensive slur.'

He said other students at the school were allowed to wear anti-gay shirts after the school's Gay-Straight Alliance wore shirts that read: 'Gay - Fine by Me.'

'Kids wore shirts like this that said "Straight - the only thing fine by me".'

Jesse's mother Kelly Smith added: 'School officials didn't ask those students to turn their shirts inside out.'

She said that since her son came out as bisexual, he has been harassed at school by other students and teachers.



Accused of censorship: The high School said it felt the word queer was 'hostile' 'It's ignorance and prejudice and there's no place for that at school,' Mrs Smith said.

The Liberty School District said in a statement that the word queer is 'aligned with hate-drive remarks resulting in hostile physical reactions that are detrimental to a safe learning environment.'

The statement added that the district 'embraces and promotes acceptance and tolerance,' fox4kc.com reports.

'A freedom of speech issue': Doug Bonney, of the American Civil Liberties Union, said students should be allowed to express themselves on t-shirts Doug Bonney, of the ACLU, said that Jesse's shirt doesn't rate as offensive, and he is now demanding that the school stop their censorship.

Mr Bonney said: 'Absolutely it's a freedom of speech issue, there's no doubt.

'High school students have the right to express themselves on t-shirts.'

The T-shirt, with bright pink lettering, came from a conference hosted by gay rights group EQUAL, whuch stands for Empowering Queer Activists and Leaders.

President of the group Wick Thomas said: 'I hope the administration realises that in this increasingly hostile climate towards LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] youth that they need to support their students and be advocates for students, and not send them home because of a dispute over a t-shirt.'

