According to reports, a student who is 12 years old was purportedly instructed to go back home from school as he declined to switch his T-shirt bearing the message “There are only two genders.”
Liam Morrison, a seventh-grade student enrolled at Nichols Middle School located in Middleborough, Massachusetts, stated that he was removed from his gym class on March 21 and had a meeting with the school faculty. They reportedly informed him that some individuals had expressed concerns about the message on his shirt, which made them feel “unsafe.” His remarks were subsequently shared by the renowned Twitter account, LibsofTikTok.
“Yes, words on a shirt made people feel unsafe. They told me that I wasn’t in trouble, but it sure felt like I was. I was told that I would need to remove my shirt before I could return to class. When I nicely told them that I didn’t want to do that, they called my father,” he explained during a Middleborough School Committee meeting on April 13.
“Thankfully, my dad, supportive of my decisions, came to pick me up. What did my shirt say? Five simple words: There are only two genders. Nothing harmful. Nothing threatening. Just a statement I believe to be a fact,” he said.
According to Morrison, he was informed that his shirt was deemed as “targeting a protected class” and causing a “disruption to learning.” He then questioned, “Who exactly is this protected class? Are their sentiments more significant than my own rights?” Additionally, he highlighted that he doesn’t protest against the display of Pride flags or diversity posters in the school because he believes that everyone has the freedom to hold their own beliefs. Morrison expressed, “Others have a right to their convictions, just as I do.”
“I was told that the shirt was a disruption to learning. No one got up and stormed out of class. No one burst into tears. I’m sure I would have noticed if they had. I experience disruptions to my learning every day. Kids acting out in class are a disruption, yet nothing is done. Why do the rules apply to one yet not another?”
The student said “not one person” directly told him they were bothered by the words on his shirt and that other students had told him they supported his actions.
During his appearance before the committee, Morrison expressed that he perceived the school’s stance as an attempt to suppress his differing viewpoint, and he had no intention of going to school that day to create any discomfort or disturbance.
“I have learned a lot from this experience. I learned that a lot of other students share my view. I learned that adults don’t always do the right thing or make the right decisions. I know that I have a right to wear a shirt with those five words. Even at 12 years old, I have my own political opinions and I have a right to express those opinions. Even at school. This right is called the First Amendment to the Constitution,” he stated.
“My hope in being here tonight is to bring the School Committee’s attention to this issue. I hope that you will speak up for the rest of us, so we can express ourselves without being pulled out of class. Next time, it may not only be me. There might be more soon that decide to speak out.”
Fox News has since reached out to Morrison and has not had any response.
Original Link: https://dailypatriotreport.com/middle-schooler-speaks-out-after-being-sent-home-for-wearing-controversial-t-shirt/
