FL: High School Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Groundbreaking Federal Lawsuit

Posted by Daily Queer News
July 31, 2008

Gay Blog

OKEECHOBEE

, FL – A Florida federal court today ruled that school officials in Okeechobee, Florida must allow a gay-straight alliance (GSA) club to meet on campus. In a precedent setting order arising in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Judge K. Michael Moore upheld his earlier ruling that GSAs do not interfere with abstinence-only education and, in a legal first, held that schools must provide for the well-being of gay students

 

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that the judge agreed we have a right to create a safe space for gay students at my school,” said Brittany Martin, a 17-year-old upcoming senior at OHS who is the GSA’s president. She added, “All we’ve ever wanted was to have a club to talk about tolerance and harassment so we can try to make our school a better place for all students.”

In a first-of-its-kind ruling, Moore held that schools must provide for the well-being of gay students to the same extent as straight students and therefore the school may not discriminate against the GSA. In the order, the court grants students in the GSA “all the rights and privileges granted to other noncurricular groups.” The victory is the second federal student rights case won by the ACLU of Florida and the national ACLU this summer.

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