High school officials in Colorado have
agreed to lift their ban on a student wearing a pro-gay marriage
t-shirt.
Kate Cohn, a senior at Falcon High
School, was told she could no longer wear a “Marriage is so gay”
t-shirt because it violated the school's dress code banning apparel
that is potentially disruptive to the academic environment.
The 17-year-old wore the shirt to
school on Election Day, November 2.
Principal Mark Carara likened the
t-shirt to an endorsement of drug or alcohol use in explaining his
ban to Cohn's parents. District administrators publicly supported
Carara's decision to ban the t-shirt. Other students protested the
action, wearing sticky notes that read “I support Kate Cohn” and
81 students signed onto an online protest petition.
The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU) of Colorado backed Cohn in her fight to wear to the t-shirt.
“To comply with the law, you must
ensure that Falcon High School permits students to quietly and
peaceably express their support for the respect, equal treatment and
acceptance of LGBT people. Every day that passes during which Falcon
High School forbids Kate to speak on this issue of great political
import that rests close to her heart, Kate suffers irreparable
injury,” the group wrote in a letter on Monday to Superintendent
Dr. Bradley Schoeppey.
In an update on the group's website on
Wednesday, the group said that school officials had eased up on the
teen.
“Less than 24 hours after we sent the
letter, Kate called to tell us school officials have told her she can
wear her shirt!”