Threatened With Lawsuit Alabama High School Reverses Decision And Allows Student To Wear “Gay? Fine By Me “Tee Shirt

An update on a previous post, not surprisingly, according to the Birmingham News, Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama late Wednesday reversed its decision to stop a student from wearing a tee-shirt expressing acceptance and support of the homosexuals. Principal Don Hulin this afternoon issued a statement, saying the tee-shirt in question -- which said "gay? fine by me." -- "has not caused a substantial disruption and the student will be allowed to wear it." The Southern Poverty Law Center this morning sent a letter to Hoover school officials, warning that the group would file a federal lawsuit if the ban were not lifted by September 12. A statement issued earlier today by the principal indicated the school respects the rights of students to exercise their constitutional entitlements and works very diligently to encourage a culture of tolerance and understanding among its diversified student body. However, the earlier statement appeared to be defend the ban against the tee-shirt in question, saying that "students at Hoover High School exercise their First Amendment rights without restriction unless such expression disrupts the learning environment or deprives the rights of others." A second statement issued this afternoon said basically the same thing but added "Our dress code at Hoover High School is designed to facilitate the learning environment that is so important to our school. The T-shirt at issue has not caused a substantial disruption and the student will be allowed to wear it. Our focus has been and will be on the learning environment at Hoover High School." Efforts to reach both Hulin and Hoover schools spokesman Jason Gaston for further comment were unsuccessful.