Student sues district over her homosexual club

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – A senior at Okeechobee High School is suing the local school district, claiming members and her principal illegally banned after-school meetings on campus of the club she formed to promote tolerance of homosexuals.

The suit by Yasmin Gonzalez against the Okeechobee County School Board claims the denial of the Gay-Straight Alliance violates the federal Equal Access Act. The action was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Miami, with the plaintiff represented by Robert F. Rosenwald Jr. of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"The problem is students can't be expected not to harass gay students as long as the school is sending a message that gay kids are second-class citizens," Rosenwald said, according to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. "The school needs to institute training that policies can't discriminate against gay kids."

"What's clear is the school just doesn't want gay kids talking on campus," he added. "They've given contradictory and irrelevant reasons for discriminating against students. The principal said there were no extracurricular clubs allowed on campus then said there were too many."

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Principal Toni Wiersma is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

No one from the district was immediately available for comment.

The Equal Access Act of 1984 gave clubs the right to assemble in public schools that receive federal funding as long as the club is student-run and attendance is voluntary.

On a Scripps messageboard, a variety of public reactions are posted: