Florida students Hannah
Page and Jacob Brock have brought a court case against their
school board in an attempt to rescind a ban on the gay-straight
alliance they founded. Represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union, the two students at Yulee High School argue
that having such an organization on campus will encourage
tolerance and help curb bullying toward LGBT students.
In U.S. district court
in Jacksonville Thursday, Frank Sheppard, the attorney
representing the Nassau County school board, countered ACLU
attorney Robert F. Rosenwald's argument with the point that it
is against board policy to allow student clubs to deal with
sexual orientation. He also noted that the school has an
abstinence-based sex education curriculum, the Associated Press
reported. The school district has spent $326,000 on attorney
fees to fight the formation of the alliance,
As arguments are being
formulated, the key issue that has been presented is the use
of "Gay-Straight Alliance" as the name of the
organization. According to the school board, the name has
connotations of sexual orientation, which is against school
policy. Page argues that a name change would be detrimental to
the very purpose of the group and that, in her opinion, the
real problem is that "the school is ashamed of using the word
'gay' in this environment."
Judge Henry Adams Jr.
gave both sides three days to present written arguments. In the
meantime, the students have requested a temporary injunction
that would allow them to meet. Adams has assured the school and
students that he will rule on the injunction "as soon as I
can." (Shannon Connolly, Advocate.com)
