Gender Reveals

Freedom of speech prevails:

Hochschild invoked the 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which concerned students disciplined for wearing black arm bands in protest against the Vietnam War. The court ruled displeased school officials were not permitted to regulate such student speech: “Clearly, the prohibition of expression of one particular opinion, at least without evidence that it is necessary to avoid material and substantial interference with schoolwork or discipline, is not constitutionally permissible.” Hochschild further criticized the school’s practice as violating M.P.’s religious liberties, because “her decision to wear the shirt is motivated, in part, by Genesis 1:27 (‘God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’)” As the Supreme Court recently recognized in a case involving a praying football coach, the free exercise and free speech clauses of the First Amendment “work in tandem.” Thankfully, the school relented. Perhaps it was influenced by President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025, executive order recognizing the “incontrovertible reality” that there are only two sexes and directing the termination of “federal funding of gender ideology.” Peoples Academy receives federal funding. Even though the school had relented, sadly M.P. was threatened with discipline yet again by a teacher when M.P. next wore the shirt to school the following week. But the school acknowledged that should not have happened; the teacher’s errant rebuke was retracted.

Sometimes it takes more than once to say there are two...