Iā??m fairly liberal in my views, but Iā??m somewhat torn on the following issue. Remember, this is all coming from a guy that thinks gay people should have all the rights of straight people, and canā??t stand most religion.

Anyone hear about this story? The rundown of the story, is that following a day of silence, a student chose to wear a shirt that read on the front ā??My Day of Silence - Straight Allianceā? and on the back said ā??Be Happy, Not Gayā?. She was told to remove the shirt or go home, and that the reason for that choice was because students were prohibited from wearing messages that upset other students. Thereā??s a bit more to it that Iā??ll touch on, and if you read the link you can get the full story, but thatā??s it for my summary.


I donā??t get this. If the school bans messages that may upset other students, then clearly the school shouldnā??t be encouraging a day of silence, which upon further reading encourages pro-gay buttons and the like, in the first place. You canā??t encourage one side of a view while discouraging the other, especially when the reason for discouragement is that you may ā??upsetā? other students. If one side of the message might hurt some people, then itā??s a fairly simple conclusion that the other side of a message might hurt the other people.


If one person is allowed to express themselves, another person should be able to express the opposite view, itā??s only fair. The shirt in itself isnā??t even that offensive. It could have read ā??Be Happy, Not a Faggotā?, which could have been considered vulgar and against school rules, and a legitimate reason to not allow the shirt, but it didnā??t. Itā??s not a shirt that incites hate. It might be anti-gay, but that doesnā??t automatically insinuate hate. If I wore a shirt that read ā??Watch Birds, Not TVā?, it doesnā??t mean I hate TV, itā??s just offering a suggestion, at the most.


However, the reason Iā??m having difficulty is because Iā??m not sure where the line should be drawn. If the school were to allow this slogan, it would have to allow practically any slogan that isnā??t vulgar. In this next example, I was going to use an arbitrary colour so that I wouldnā??t be singling anybody out, but the message becomes much less powerful, so Iā??ll use a specific colour.


ā??Be Smart, Not Blackā?


Should a child be allowed to wear that kind of message on a t-shirt? I say that in most circumstances, the answer is yes. If a school allows a child to wear a message that states one thing, then another child should be able to wear a message declaring the exact opposite, no matter how much I or anyone else disagrees with it. As long as it isnā??t hateful, or inciting violence towards someone or a group, then it should be allowed.
Hardcore Newbie Reviewed by Hardcore Newbie on . Be happy, Not gay t-shirt Iā??m fairly liberal in my views, but Iā??m somewhat torn on the following issue. Remember, this is all coming from a guy that thinks gay people should have all the rights of straight people, and canā??t stand most religion. Anyone hear about this story? The rundown of the story, is that following a day of silence, a student chose to wear a shirt that read on the front ā??My Day of Silence - Straight Allianceā? and on the back said ā??Be Happy, Not Gayā?. She was told to remove the shirt Rating: 5