DENIED: T-Shirt Case Won’t Make It to Supreme Court

A few weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not hear L.M. v. Town of Middleborough, a case where a Massachusetts school punished a student for wearing a t-shirt to school with the words “There are only two genders.”

Liam’s case was about much more than just a t-shirt. The school actively promotes its view about gender through posters and “Pride” events, and it encourages students to wear clothing with messages on the same topic—so long as that clothing expresses the school’s preferred views on the subject.

This is a disappointing development—a setback for free speech.

By denying the case, the Supreme Court leaves in place a lower court ruling that denied Liam’s clear constitutional right to free speech.

We believe public school officials cannot censor a 7th grader’s speech by forcing him to remove a shirt that respectfully states scientific fact. This is a gross violation of the First Amendment.

Do you agree with Liam that there are only two genders?