Originally Authored at TheFederalist.com
Massachusetts public school administrators forced a middle schooler to remove a shirt acknowledging there are only two human sexes. The incident occurred on March 21, 2023, when Liam Morrison wore a T-shirt that reads, “There Are Only Two Genders” to Nichols Middle School in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Morrison attended the school as a seventh grader at the time of the incident.
According to a legal complaint filed by Morrison’s attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, the boy was pulled from class by acting Principal Heather Tucker, who ordered Morrison to remove the shirt. After Morrison declined to do so, Tucker allegedly said he would not be permitted to return to class until he removed the shirt, prompting the seventh grader to leave school for the day.
Morrison’s shirt “caused no disruptions” at the school, according to the complaint. The incident prompted Morisson to wear a different shirt to school that read, “There Are Censored Genders,” which administrators also forced him to remove, the lawsuit says.
Officials reportedly cited the school’s official Dress Code when justifying their decision. That policy bans students from wearing clothes that “state, imply, or depict hate speech or imagery that target groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other classification.”
The school’s censorious actions led Morrison, through his father and stepmother, to file a lawsuit against Tucker and the Middleborough School Committee in May 2023, arguing the school’s actions violated his First and 14th Amendment rights. Morrison claims he’s seen students wear clothing that says “all kinds of things” to school, including one shirt that allegedly said, “He, she, they, it’s all okay.”
“A lot of people are afraid to speak up. We shouldn’t be afraid—not to think or speak our opinions,” Morrison wrote in a recent Fox News op-ed. “Saying something different from what others might say shouldn’t be treated as wrong. That’s what makes America great. We are free to have a mind of our own.”
A hearing on Morrison’s case was held in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit on Feb. 8.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood