Student Sues School Over Ban on "Straight Pride" Sweatshirt E-mail this page to a friend Contact: Stephen M. Crampton American Family Association P.O. Drawer 2440 Tupelo, MS 38803 1-662-680-3886 For Immediate Release: April 2, 2001 TUPELO, MS–Today, the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy ("Center") filed a federal lawsuit in St. Paul, Minnesota against Woodbury High School to prevent school officials from enforcing school policies that squelch viewpoints favorable toward heterosexuality. The suit was filed on behalf of sixteen year old Elliott Chambers, a student at Woodbury High, and his parents, Kendal and Lana Chambers. In January, Elliott was summoned to the principal's office and told that a sweatshirt he wore the previous day was thereafter banned as offensive to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. The sweatshirt carried the trademarked logo "Straight Pride" on the front, and contained the universal symbol of man and woman, holding hands, on the back. The school openly promotes homosexuality by displaying inverted pink triangles, the universal symbol of the homosexual community, in certain "safe" rooms. "Safe" rooms are those rooms set aside for student/teacher discussion and counseling regarding homosexuality and other non-traditional relationships. Prior to contacting the Center, the Chambers unsuccessfully attempted to resolve the matter by meeting with the school's principal, co-defendant Dana Babbitt. During the meeting, when the Chambers expressed concern about the school's overt support of homosexuality and bisexuality, Babbitt called them "homophobic." Later, other parents were shocked and outraged when informed by Kendal and Lana Chambers about the school's "safe" rooms. "Elliott's sweatshirt merely makes a positive statement about heterosexuality. It does not denigrate other forms of sexuality," said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the Center. "This is a case of classic viewpoint discrimination. The school has chosen to openly embrace homosexuality and bisexuality, and it does not welcome dissenting points of view. What is especially troubling is the school's open hostility toward student support of committed man-woman relationships," he said. The Center is the legal arm of the American Family Association, Inc., located in Tupelo, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. The Center restricts its practice to constitutional litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country.