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(Gainesville, Georgia) A federal judge ruled
Friday that White County High School must allow students in the gay-straight
alliance club to meet on campus.
U-S District Court Judge William C. O'Kelley said
that the school cannot deny the GSA, called P.R.I.D.E., equal access or a
fair opportunity to conduct meetings on school premises during noninstructional
time.
O'Kelley said that school officials had violated
the Federal Equal Access Act by barring the group from meeting on campus, while
allowing other non-curricular clubs to do so.
His ruling also said that the school cannot
discriminate against student groups on the basis of the religious, political,
philosophical or other content of their speech.
"This is a great victory for the lesbian and
gay students and their friends at White County High School who will finally be
allowed to meet and can begin to address the violence and harassment against gay
students at the school," said Beth Littrell, Associate Legal Director of
the ACLU of Georgia.
"But it's also a victory for all students
who have been shut out of noncurricular school clubs and activities all year by
the school's wrongheaded attempts to prevent the GSA."
In February 2005 students were told they would be
allowed to organize a Gay-Straight Alliance, which later became Peers Rising In
Diversity Education, P.R.I.D.E..
About two weeks later about 250 angry parents
attended a White County school board meeting to protest the club and the board
decided to ban all non-academic clubs.
The move staved off a threatened suit by the
American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the students, but when some of the
non-academic clubs began holding meetings on school property and have their
meetings promoted during morning announcements the ACLU filed a federal
discrimination suit.
"This has been the best civics lesson
ever," said Kerry Pacer, one of the founders of PRIDE. "I couldn't
believe the school was so unfair to us when all we wanted to do was to try to
address the violence and harassment against gay students. I'm relieved that the
court is going to make the school let us meet."
©365Gay.com 2006
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