CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
"
>
"
data-page-title="
A second-grader in Louisiana was scolded and forced to write "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again" after he told a classmate his mother is a lesbian, the American Civil Liberties Union alleges. According to the ACLU, which filed a complaint with the Lafayette Parish School Board on Monday, 7-year-old Marcus McLaurin was waiting in line to go to recess on November 11 at Ernest Gaullet Elementary School in Youngsville when classmates asked him about his mother and father. McLaurin responded that he has two mothers because his mother is gay. When the other child asked for an explanation, McLaurin told him, "Gay is when a girl likes another girl," according to the complaint. A teacher, overhearing the remark, scolded McLaurin, telling him "gay" is a "bad word" and sending him to the principal's office. The following week the school required the boy to attend a behavioral clinic at 6:45 a.m., where he was forced to repeatedly write "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again," the ACLU said. The child was also made to sign a "Student Behavior Contract," where he wrote, "I sed bad wurds." A report sent home to McLaurin's mother, Sharon Huff, said her child "decided to explain to another child in his group that his mom is gay. He told the other child that gay is when a girl likes a girl. This kind of discussion is not acceptable in my room. I feel that parents should explain things of this nature to their own children in their own way." Lafayette Parish Schools superintendent James Easton said that the child wasn't disciplined for using the word "gay." "It was an inappropriate description of personal activity," Easton said. "I don't know exactly what was said, but that is what was reported to me." Easton said that the issue will be investigated seriously before the district responds to the ACLU's complaint. "It would surprise me if that accusation is accurate," he said. "A child can't be disciplined for using the term 'gay.' If one were, it would be a violation of their rights." The ACLU claims that is exactly what happened. "At the ACLU we often deal with schools that mistreat gay children and children who have gay parents, but this is beyond the pale," said Ken Choe, an attorney for the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. Joe Cook, executive director of the ACLU in Louisiana, said that children and gay and lesbian parents "have the same right as any other children to talk about their families." Although no suit has been filed, the ACLU demanded that the school remove all mention of the case from McLaurin's disciplinary record and apologize to the boy and his mother. "I was concerned when the assistant principal called and told me my son had said a word so bad that he didn't want to repeat it over the phone," Huff said. "But that was nothing compared to the shock I felt when my little boy came home and told me that his teacher had told him his family is a dirty word."
Student punished for saying "gay," ACLU says
" >From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
Melania Trump cashed six-figure check to speak to gay Republicans at Mar-a-Lago
August 16 2024 5:57 PM
These 13 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Latest Stories
Lesbian cop wins $750k in sexual harassment lawsuit against former chief
February 05 2025 11:53 AM
If Trump can rename the Gulf, why can't we rename ourselves?
February 05 2025 7:00 AM
What can trans people do about Trump’s executive orders? Be plaintiffs, says Lambda Legal
February 05 2025 6:00 AM
Lawsuit challenges Trump's executive order targeting gender-affirming care
February 04 2025 7:58 PM
Fearless + Fighting Back: Lambda Legal’s plan to protect LGBTQ+ and HIV rights
February 04 2025 6:04 PM
e.l.f. Beauty CEO defends DEI: 'Our diversity is a key competitive advantage'
February 04 2025 5:19 PM
Trump moves to abolish Education Department amid push against 'wokeness'
February 04 2025 2:50 PM
Donald Trump's DOT will prioritize areas with higher 'marriage and birth rates'
February 04 2025 1:42 PM
Kim Davis is back in court because she doesn't want to pay a gay couple
February 04 2025 12:27 PM