Aparently nobody knows jack at this school
OK for school wear, but not for photo seen by parents (the girl’s mother made the shirt). Yup. Don’t want to offend the delicate sensibilities of homophobic parents who vote for school funding. Ah, the lessons we teach.
A student being asked to remove a T-shirt with a lesbian slogan has sparked a protest at a school in Melbourne’s northwest.
About 30 students at Strathmore Secondary College last week rallied behind Year 12 classmate Stephanie, 17, after she was told by teachers to change out of the T-shirt for school photos.
Stephanie, who did not want her surname published, said she had worn a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Nobody knows I’m a lesbian” to school on several occasions without concerns being raised by staff or fellow students.
“I’ve had it for ages,” she said.
But she said things changed when she wore it on school photo day, sparking concern among Year 12 co-ordinators.
She was quickly asked to take the T-shirt off.
“They said it was because certain parents would complain,” Stephanie said.
There is never a value in being offensive for its own sake. So why do it? But then again, I can see why she’s screwed up. She’s got a mother who would make her a t-shirt like that.
I dont see a problem with wearing a slogan on a shirt. As a recent high school grad (2003,) I can definately understand where this girl is coming from. Given the way cliques have gone of late; one is almost expected to fully express their style in order to top the rest and make a bolder statement.
As far as her being ‘screwed up’ by her mother, thats a bunch of bull. I believe she should be proud to have a mother that is willing to support her in anything she does. My mother is the same way, and it has helped me all throughout my life. Heaven forbid someone were to stand up against the conservative way and not only speak their mind, but show it to those that wont listen.
Way to go girls. . . . In my opinion of course.
Yes, let’s legislate taste as well as opinion! It’s American-style democracy.
“A mother who is willing to support her in whatever she does.” Perhaps “love her through whatever she does” would be appropriate, but what if the girl wants to do the columbine thing? Of course a parent can’t support a child in whatever it does! A parent’s job is to create a mature, decent, self-controlled adult out of an immature child. And no chlid wants to go through what it takes to become mature.
Fully expressing style? I suppose if the style is to be obnoxious and offensive, she’s succeeded.
Is it necessary? Is it useful? If not, then why be offensive?
James, I find it neither obnoxious or offensive to be a Lesbian… nor to wear a shirt that mentions it. She should just wear a shirt that says I M L S B N … that way the less clever among us would never catch on.
You’re late for your bible study, you shouldn’t be wasting time on the porn-ravaged internet.
Wayne Bienek, remeber to a liberal “tolerance” means you support their world view, and “intolerance” means you disagree with them.
AKA to say Homosexuality is wrong is “intolerance”
to say Christians are wrong is “tolerance”
What I define what I see there is a “Double Standard”
Until the ‘public’ schools are funded by the church; Americans should be allowed the comforts of not adding religion to their schoolwork. I dont feel anyone needs to be force fed intelligent design, along with evolution, plus everything else that students are already failing to grasp in school. Why would it be necessary to soak our society in religion outside of church itself? Separation of Church and state should
Being a lesbian is not a religion, it is not a different way of thought or a following leading to a potentially false nirvana. I see no comparison of it to church and religion.
As far as the big bang. . . If you want to consider your metaphor there. Yes, I do believe that given billions upon billions of attempts; each having a few billion years to work with eachother, you’ll receive a non-working (no battery) rolex of sorts. Its is quite simple to follow a mathematical standpoint and see that there are only so many ways glass/gold/metal/anything can break/land/shift and eventually, one of those is going to be your complex perfection.
Do your part to keep your church separate from the state, and I’ll do my best to keep those god-forsaken alternative lifestyles out of your church.
Ah, Michael, Michael.
How about Elections in Iraq are “good” — electing people our government doesn’t approve of means “withdraw financial support for the elected”.
Elections in Venezuela are “good” — unless our candidates don’t win. Then, send in Rice to whine about boycotts.
Elections in Palestine are “good” — unless Palestinians choose someone unacceptable to Israel’s government — which allows about 60% of their “governed” to vote.
Always nice to hear from an Amerikan who prefers hypocrisy to a double standard.
Look at the LAW OF ENTRYPY (not THEORY) (second law of Thermodynamics) and you’ll see that what you say DOESN’T work.
You cannot get order from disorder w/ time. Chaos doesn’t lead to order, but GREATER chaos!
YES… it DOES work. Chaos doesn’t lead to order, but it does NOT mean that “order” cannot arise from “chaos.” My boy has an alphabet puzzle. If I stand around for eternity throwing all the pieces up in the air, EVENTUALLY, they will all comeback down “in order.” Many more times than that, several parts of the alphabet will come down “in order.” Many more times than that, they will come down as chaotically as they went up.
Saying it CAN’T happen because of Newton’s 2nd Law is silly.
Wayne,
I’d suggest you refrain from making comments about natural phenomena as you are merely cementing everyone’s opinion about your scientific ignorance.
While I accept that someone should be allowed to wear such a shirt, I don’t feel it, nor any other slogan shirt, is really appropriate in school. This type of situation is why we should have school uniforms. It eliminates the debate about what is and is not accepted.
I’m impressed with the support Stephanie received from fellow students. Kids can be exremely cruel (teenage girls are the worst) and it’s refreshing to see these kids supporting her rather than making her life hell.
Public schools will continue to violate people’s rights regardless of the fiascos they create. In my old high school, they banned all clothing with any writing on it. They claimed it was to prevent gang activity. The school is located in upper middle class suburbia. The schools are for the most part run at the disgression of the principal, regardless of how insane his philosopies are.
is she actually a lesbian? I think I missed that part.
And I agree with Cheryl…..it’s nice to see her peers rally around her, too little of that in high school.
But, I have a personal thing about wearing clothes with messages, along with bumper stickers with messages. I’m not a billboard, nor am I a flashing *eat here* sign. But, thats just me.
I go to university in England and I see a lot of guys wearing t-shirts that say….*nobody knows I’m gay*….so I look at what she wore as just an attention grabber, no more. I have a t-shirt that a friend gave me that says….*i’m not gay…..but my boyfriend is*…..now, thats class
I understand the concept of “Free Speech”. I also understand the concept of good taste. In this case I am going to side with the School.
The same problem arises with tattoos. Some guy will have his girlfriend permanently inked onto his arm or a girl will have her boy friend’s name on her butt. Then years later they end up marrying someone else. Tattoos don’t wash off. And it doesn’t have to be a name; it could be a slogan, gang ritual, obscene comment etc.
High School pictures are for posterity. Sure, maybe the shirt expresses your feelings today, but will they express them tomorrow? It doesn’t matter if she wants to advertise that she is a lesbian, or pregnant, or drinks Bud Light, the King of Urine. Will she, her friends, and classmates want to still read that 25 years from now? Will she want someone to see that while doing a background check for security clearance?
She wouldn’t be allowed to wear a T-Shirt to the Prom. Why should the posterity of High School Graduation pictures be much different?
Wayne
Your whole idea about creating a Rolex watch from an explosion is a red herring. What does that have to do with evolution, science, or wearing a T-shirt that claims the wearer is a lesbian?
If you are trying to draw a parallel between the Big Bang theory and creating a watch from an explosion is totally absurd. This is the argument of someone who cannot grasp the basics of science. The Big Bang theory and the Theory of Evolution are two separate concepts totally independent to each other. Only a ridiculous bible thumper, unable to think for himself without using the bible to back him up, could come up with such an argument.
Michael
AKA to say Homosexuality is wrong is “intolerance”
No, to say homosexuality is wrong is just wrong. It may be no more wrong then to be male or female is wrong. Homosexuality is not a lifestyle. It is not a choice. It is a mental / physical gender issue. And if you believe that God created everything, then I guess God also created Homosexuals. So who are you to suggest that God made a mistake?
to me homosexuality is a choice hetrosexulity and celebsy are also. but then I have always thaught of myself as a human being not an animal incapable of choice. one persons opinion.
BOBO – nice idea. The whole “mind over instinct” thing. The point is that you would be overriding those instincts, and those instincts must have come from somewhere.
Homosexuality is only a choice if you concider all sexuality a choice.
Either way – moving back on topic – the school is practising censorship for no good reason. If they were to say no-one could wear slogans or logos (pretty common here in the UK) then I wouldn’t mind so much.
For example – my sixth form (age 16-18 for the the US people here) mandated that “you could wear anything as long as it is black, white, or grey, and doesn’t have an obvious slogan or logo” which is pretty easy to do, gives you a lot of flexibility, and solves this sort of problem. Like a slack set of uniform rules.
The problem is that the school here seems to just have issue with her shirt because it might offend some bigots. That’s just wrong.
A friend of mine was booted out of school for the day for wearing a ‘sex wax’ shirt. That’s even more ridiculous…