School Can Ban ‘Two Genders’ Shirt, Appeals Court Says (1)

A Massachusetts public school can ban a student from wearing a shirt reading, “THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS,” the First Circuit ruled, saying the First Amendment doesn’t override a public school’s obligation to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination.

“In many realms of public life one must bear the risk of being subjected to messages that are demeaning of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation, even when those messages are highly disparaging of those characteristics,” the Sunday opinion from the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said. While US Supreme Court precedent holds that schools must permit debate over ...