Freedom of Expression

I enjoy a good debate. When I heard about the girl who was not allowed to wear a shirt that says “Gay? Fine by me.” many thoughts crossed my mind. I put myself in the shoes of the principal and what I would do if this were my school, my student, and my decision to make.
First off, this is simply a political statement. Regardless of what this statement is, students should be allowed to express their political point of view, as long as it does not degrade anyone else. I guarantee you that this girl would not be sent home for wearing a “W The President” shirt or an Obama shirt.
Secondly, the statement on the shirt was not hateful or degrading of any group. Quite the contrary, it was a very accepting and inclusive message. By wearing this shirt, the young woman was simply implying, “I do not care if you are gay.” What is wrong with this? Even if you do disapprove of gay people, what is wrong with someone who doesn’t? How does this affect you? If a girl wore a shirt to school with curse words, or hate filled messages, sure you send them home. There has to be a line and I understand that. If I were principal, that line would be drawn with inappropriate or hateful messages. There is nothing wrong with expressing one’s point of view. That’s the beauty of America.
What bothers me is the fact that this girl was not allowed to wear a shirt to school because the majority of the people around her disagree with her political agenda. Is that where we want to be as Americans? Do we want to be so scared of an opposing point of view that we refuse to acknowledge that it exists? I think not. It may be radical, but sending someone home for a shirt like this is not too different than what Hitler did when he was in power. He destroyed anything that opposed what he thought. Mindsets like this are dangerous.
On a positive note, the girl’s family threatened to sue and is now allowed to wear the shirt whenever she pleases. It is sad that it came to this, but it gives me faith in the United States as a country. We are not Nazi Germany. People are free to express their opinion. That, my friend, is a beautiful thing.