The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals last year upheld a Massachusetts middle school’s decision to ask students to remove T-shirts that read, “There are only two genders.”
A federal appeals court ruled Sunday to reject eighth-grader Liam Morrison’s appeal that Nichols Middle School in Middleboro violated his First Amendment rights in March 2023. The decision upheld an earlier district court ruling.
“This case is not about a T-shirt. It’s about a public school telling a middle school student that she cannot express a view that differs from that of her school,” David Cortman, senior counsel and vice president of U.S. litigation at Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the Morrison family along with the Massachusetts Family Institute, said in a statement following the federal court ruling.
According to court documents, Morrison, who was a seventh-grader at the time, was sent home with his father after refusing to remove the shirt. Morrison later wore the same shirt, but with the words “Just the Two of Us” covered with tape and the tape reading “Censored.” School officials also instructed Morrison to remove the shirt.
Judge orders University of California employees to end strike over anti-Israel protests
Liam Morrison went to school on May 5, 2023 wearing a shirt that read, “Gender is being censored.” (The Morrison Family)
In an interview with Fox News Digital last year, Morrison stressed that her T-shirt was not aimed at anyone, particularly “lesbian, gay, transgender people”.
“I am simply expressing my opinion on what I believe to be true,” he said at the time, “and I feel that some may perceive me as promoting hate speech, even if it is not directed at anyone.”
Liam Morrison, then a seventh-grader, stands outside John T. Nichols Jr. Middle School in Middleborough, Massachusetts. (The Morrison Family)
Federal judge denies ‘coordinated campaign’ to remove Trump appointee in classified documents case
“Our legal system is based on the truth that the government cannot silence people who speak simply because it doesn’t approve of what they’re saying,” Courtman said.
“The school actively promotes its views on gender through posters and ‘Pride’ events and encourages pupils to wear clothing with messages on the same theme, as long as the clothing represents the school’s preferred views on the topic,” Mr Courtman added.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Courtman said he was considering all legal options, including appealing the Federal Circuit Court ruling.
