'Lesbians are cool' t-shirt sparks an outrage in a Massachusetts school

A Massachusetts high school student was reprimanded in school for wearing a t-shirt which had pro-gay remarks on it

It seems that despite touting that we accept gays as equals, we are still far behind in terms of really accepting this fact. A student in a Massachusetts high school was reprimanded for wearing a pro-gay t-shirt and was asked not to wear it again. The t-shirt said 'All the Cool Girls are Lesbians', and it sparked an outrage in the school. The student who was wearing it, has not been identified, but it was revealed that she was outraged over this incident and she wrote a letter to Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who is the chairwoman of the Lynn, Mass., School Committee, and the mayor of the town. In the letter, the student wrote that she had been asked by the vice principal to cover up her t-shirt and never to wear it again to the school. As detailed in the letter, it was said that the student was referred to the vice principal by a teacher who saw what was written on the girl's t-shirt. The vice principal agreed with the teacher that the shirt was inappropriate 'because it's political and offensive to some people', the student said that she was told. "Well, frankly I'm the one who feels offended," she wrote in the letter to Kennedy, adding: "The word lesbian is not inappropriate. Saying it is, is calling homosexuality inappropriate."

Judith Kennedy agreed with her and told members of the School Committee at its meeting that she had done her research and believed that the student was right. According to her research, the school's dress code prohibits clothing that depicts weapons, drugs or alcohol, or anything considered disruptive, but it doesn't specify gender issues. The Massachusetts high school is known for its tolerance for gender differences, so this issue came as a surprise for most of the people.

This lesbian t-shirt issue has incited different reactions from different people.

Dallas Chambers, a program director at radio station KISS-FM in Amarillo, Texas, took the side of the assistant principal, and wrote on his website that "we have a ton of idiots in our world, students need to be paying attention in class! Not being distracted by naive little girls that think it's cool to be a lesbian."

It remains to be seen whether the school will change its policy and attitude towards homosexuals or whether this topic will forever remain a taboo.