Florida high
schools must allow GSAs to meet

Students at Okeechobee High School in Florida were granted the right to meet on campus to form a gay-straight alliance. U.S. district court judge K. Michael Moore found that GSAs are not "sex-based" clubs, rejecting the school's argument that the club would violate its abstinence-only education policy.

Yasmin Gonzalez, president of the Okeechobee GSA, called the April 6 verdict "great news."

"I am so glad that we're going to be allowed to meet on campus just like kids in other clubs already do," she said in a press release. "Even though I am graduating this year, I now know that by standing up to intolerance today, future students at OHS will benefit from a more open environment and not have to endure the same treatment from our school in the future."

The ACLU represented the students who formed the GSA.

The Associated Press reports that the school district's attorney, David Gibbs, has not decided whether the school will appeal the verdict. "The kids are getting the name they wanted," he said according to the article, "but we're pleased that the students are limited to discussing discrimination issues." (The Advocate)