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A Guardian of Free Speech in High Schools Jarred Gamwell came to the ACLU for assistance in April 2004 after being censored by his high school principal when he was running for student body president. Like all candidates for student office, Jarred had made a variety of campaign signs to put up in the hallways. Unlike the other candidates, the school decided to censor two of his posters that referenced his being openly gay one reading, “Gay Guys Know Everything!” and another reading, “Queer Eye for Hunt High.” Rather than just accepting what he knew to be censorship, Jarred acted resourcefully and quickly called the ACLU. The ACLU sued his school, demanding that he be allowed to put the posters back up before the election.
Jarred's lawsuit received national media attention, and he was featured in many widely read news outlets, including The New York Times , Associated Press , Christian Science Monitor , The Advocate , Education Week and the Washington Blade . Through it all, Jarred remained poised and articulate and described his case as only one example of the sanctioned discrimination faced by LGBT youth in schools across the country. As part of his efforts to raise awareness of this discrimination, Jarred has delivered speeches and written several essays on the topic. Last summer, he participated in a panel discussion at the ACLU's national membership conference on making schools safer for LGBT kids.
“What our future needs is honorable citizens who will inspire harmony through the elimination of prejudice, discrimination, and persecution based on non-traditional cultural and ethical backgrounds,” Jarred said.
What can you do to protect gay rights? Find out in the LGBT Action Center.
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