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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Homo Rainbows Are Gay

Posted by on Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 4:48 PM

A school principal in Peoria, Arizona was alarmed last month when he spotted a 14-year-old student at school wearing a rainbow wristband printed with the words “Rainbows Are Gay." According to the ACLU, David Svorinic, principal of K-8 Parkridge Elementary, called the boy’s mother, Natali Quintanilla, on February 25 to say her son must stop wearing the wristband to school or turn it inside out. Svorinic allegedly told the mother the wristband was “offensive” and “had caused a disruption.” When she asked to explain how it was offensive, the principal allegedly said the boy was “putting his sexuality out there.” Behold the offensive accessory:

rainbows_are_gay.jpg

The ACLU says the principal’s demand “violates Chris Quintanilla’s constitutional rights.” So the group fired off letter to the school district today, citing previous rulings about what kids can wear to school, including a Supreme Court decision 40 years ago that found three students were allowed to wear black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. “It is our hope that the district will now allow Chris and other students to wear or otherwise display messages or symbols expressing their support of LGBT rights,” the ACLU’s letter concludes.

“We haven’t gotten any comment from the principal,” says Maggie Olney, a spokeswoman for the Peoria School District, who had just received the ACLU letter. “Until then we cannot really comment on it.” She says the district is on spring break until next Monday.

 

Comments (29) RSS

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1
What if the student was wearing the wristband to be sarcastic and making fun of gays as in rainbows are "lame"? Or in other words gays (rainbows) are gay (lame).
What could the principal do then?
Posted by Principals are gay on March 17, 2009 at 4:55 PM
2
So is the kid actually gay or was he wearing it for shock value/sarcasm? Segue into "Pink Triangle" by Weezer...
Posted by kebabs on March 17, 2009 at 5:02 PM
3
I NEVER would have supported your filthy gay agenda if I had known that you would stoop to tactics like this. That armband is a national tragedy. Take it off, take it off!
Posted by Fnarf on March 17, 2009 at 5:10 PM
4
I agree with everyone who's thinking it but hasn't posted yet: He should be able to wear the wristband. But I guess that means we have to let the "White Pride" and "Abortion Kills" wrist bands too, right? Tit for tat and what not.
Posted by New Comment System Still Sucks on March 17, 2009 at 5:15 PM
5
That armband is offensive to unicorns.
Posted by JC on March 17, 2009 at 5:20 PM
6
You only have to allow what doesn't cause a substantial disruption in the school's educational mission. The rainbow wristband is obviously not going to start a riot, so it is protected speech. "Abortion kills" probably wouldn't either. White pride might be questionable. If it could be proved that a white pride wristband was distracting from the learning environment it could be prohibited.
Posted by Jeremy on March 17, 2009 at 5:21 PM
7
@4: no, because "White Pride" is hate speech. But we do have to let the kids wear the "Abortion Kills" wrist bands. Even if it means they're not going to get laid except for furtive, sloppy, instantly-regretted and probably-baby-producing evangelical sex.
Posted by Big Sven on March 17, 2009 at 5:21 PM
8
I think just a rainbow sweatband would say "gay". A rainbow sweatband that says "Rainbows are Gay" is either superfluous, malicious, or simply a joke lacking a punchline.

Why are there so many... rules about rainbows?
Posted by Dougsf on March 17, 2009 at 5:34 PM
9
@4
I don't think "White Pride" is hate speech. It's the same as "Black Power" or "Viva la Raza". So SHUT THE FCUK UP.
YOU, Big Sven, ARE HATE SPEECH.
Posted by douchus on March 17, 2009 at 5:40 PM
10
Whoops, @7... @7 indeed! I got confused, what with the pretty lights and disco girls...
Posted by douchus on March 17, 2009 at 5:41 PM
11
@1, yeah this is a weird one, because aren't the kids now (regrettably) using "gay" to mean "lame"? Maybe the Principal knew from the context of this kid's sexuality that it was a gay pride display, but if I saw that wrist band I'd take it as homophobia? I'm so confused...
Posted by steve on March 17, 2009 at 6:37 PM
12
I think the school district's point is that they're actually trying to protect the kid from hate attacks based on his being gay. Not sure I agree with that thinking or not, but it does sorta put a different light on this story.
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty on March 17, 2009 at 6:37 PM
13
@5

I'm a unicorn, and I don't mind.
Posted by chuffy on March 17, 2009 at 8:35 PM
14
This topic bears enough importance and immediate cultural relevance to be made into this week's very special episode of South Park.

But which kid would be wearing it and why?
Posted by Lenny on March 17, 2009 at 9:04 PM
15
And why are there so many songs about rainbows?
Posted by NapoleonXIV on March 17, 2009 at 9:47 PM
16
@9:

I don't think "White Pride" is hate speech.


That's nice, sonny. Please- tell me alllll about your political views. I want to know. Really. Could you post like thirty super long cut-n-pastes from stormfront? That would really help me and my degenerate friends see the light of racial purity.
Posted by Big Sven on March 17, 2009 at 10:31 PM
17
Every time we see a rainbow God is having gay sex
Posted by jackseattle on March 17, 2009 at 11:03 PM
18
Me, I always thought rainbows were happy.

Does this mean I'll have to stop donning my gay apparel during the Christmas season, too?

Posted by Mr. X on March 18, 2009 at 12:58 AM
19
I say let the kid wear his rainbow armband, and while we're at it, allow the white pride, black pride, abortion is murder, etc. No sarcasm intended here. Honestly, it's just words. People need to stop being so upset by a few words on an armband. If people start strangling others with armbands, then I'll say ban armbands.
Posted by Rob in Baltimore on March 18, 2009 at 7:45 AM
20
Fucking Unicorns are gay as shit, and purses and Ass Fucking is REAL Gay man. yeh
Posted by ChinNuts on March 18, 2009 at 7:57 AM
21
Note to self: manufacture rainbow armbands saying "Team Sports Are Gay." Distribute to junior high school students.
Posted by this guy I know in Spokane on March 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM
22
@16, hate speech is protected just as much as love speech. The whole point is that unpopular speech is not muzzled.
Posted by oeuoeuoeu on March 18, 2009 at 11:52 AM
23
from the ACLU press release -

"“When I asked my son’s principal why he wouldn’t be allowed to wear his wristband to school anymore, he said some teachers found it offensive,” said Natali Quintanilla, mother of the eighth grader whose wristband was banned. “My son is honest and happy about who he is, and I love him and support his right to be himself. There are a lot of things teachers should be more concerned about than one little wristband – like educating our children.”

Quintanilla contacted the ACLU last month after her son Chris’s principal told her he wouldn’t allow her son to wear his cloth wristband with words “Rainbows are gay” to school anymore. When her son was harassed for being gay earlier this school year, Quintanilla said the same principal told her, “If he didn’t put it out there the way he does, he wouldn’t have much of a problem.”"
Posted by David in AZ on March 18, 2009 at 2:16 PM
24
Oh my God, typical... what have the principal said if the wristband said : Rainbow is straight.... nothing.....

http://blog.mysocalledgaylife.com
Posted by ephram on March 18, 2009 at 4:30 PM
25
My children go to this school... however I am not a close-minded person. My daughter wears the identical wristband everyday; including to school. No one has ever told her to remove it. She has a boyfriend (to my dismay...at 13 years old). So my point being why is it okay for a straight child to wear it but not a gay child?
I believe that there are private schools for the close-minded parents. Public schools are meant to service everyone regardless of beliefs.
Another point I would like to make is... We tell our children to "never judge a book by its cover" and "be accepting;everyone is different"... If our public schools shelter our children from "the real world" than they will not be accustom to society when they graduate.
Posted by Parkridge Parent on March 18, 2009 at 7:52 PM
26
My nine year old should not have to see his gay arm band, he can put it on when he gets back to his gay house.
Posted by Another Parkridge Parent on March 25, 2009 at 6:49 PM
27
My 10 year old should not have to put up with your 9 year old. Send it to a private school.
Posted by YetAnotherParkridge Parent on April 2, 2009 at 6:31 AM
28
What did my nine year old do to your ten year old, maybe you should move to San Francisco?
Posted by Another Parkridge Parent on April 17, 2009 at 5:38 PM
29
This story made http://detentionslip.org ! Check itout for all the crazy headlines from our schools.
Posted by Hall Monitor on April 20, 2009 at 5:22 PM

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