Lesbian Student Can Sue School, Judge Says

[deadparrot]

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A federal judge ruled that a lesbian student can sue her school district and her principal for revealing her homosexuality to her mother.

Charlene Nguon, 17, may go forward with her suit claiming violation of privacy rights, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ruled in a decision dated Nov. 28 and announced Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Orange County's Garden Grove district had argued that Nguon openly kissed and hugged her girlfriend on campus and thus had no expectation of privacy.

However, the judge ruled that Nguon had "sufficiently alleged a legally protected privacy interest in information about her sexual orientation."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051202/ap_on_re_us/gay_student_lawsuit

[jeff30997]

1. Great!

Those morons need a kick in the ass.

[NashVegas]

2. I Don't Know About This

If she was engaging in PDAs, I'd call that pretty out.

[David__77]

4. That doesn't excuse the school.

It's clear what the intention was. When I was in high school I was pretty out, but not at home. That gave no right to any school official to go chat with my mother.

[LostinVA]

7. Doesn't make a difference, as long as she didn't do it at home

Many gay teens are thrown out of the house or kill themselves because of their parents not being able to handle their being gay. Most experts say the majority of teenage suicides and runaways are gay teens. Oh, or they can be forced into the "ex gay" camps... which should be 100% illegal, IMO.

Good on the judge!

[NashVegas]

13. For The Most Part ...

It is discriminatory. Would this principal have called a parent if this were a hetero kid? Unless someone was giving and getting blow jobs in the hallway, I doubt it.

I just think she'd have been on a collision course no matter. It didn't have to be the principal, it could have been some other kid's parent, saying something in passing.

[ismnotwasm]

3. He called her MOM?

Does he call all the parents of boy/girl handholders or kissers? What a total asshole.

[HereSince1628]

5. I think that may be the point that must be made.

Why announce this if hetero-activity in the parking lot isn't?

[LostinVA]

8. And, that will be a huge point of her lawsuit, I wager

Discrimination because of her sexual orientation, and the privacy issue.

Man! Kids are NOT chattel, owned by their parents, but the laws certainly treat them that way.

[onenote]

6. that is exactly the right question

I can see where O'Reilly and Gibson and the rest of the Fox morons are going to leap all over this saying that some pinhead judge wants to prevent schools from telling parents about their children. The way to counter this is exactly what you've suggested: point out that if the school is going to inform parents about students' relationships, it should be informing all parents about all such relationships. After all, just because its a heterosexual relationship doesn't mean the parents shouldn't know, does it? Maybe the parents have forbidden the child from being involved with a particular person and they are carrying on their relationship at school, out of sight of the parents.

I wonder what the wingnuts reaction would be if the situation involved an interracial or an interfaith relationship and the principal had called the kids' parents.

onenote

[Ian David]

10. If that were MY school principal...

I'd make very certain that his wife knew every aspect of his private life outside the home.

[genieroze]

17. My sons principal did when my son was was kissing his girlfriend.

They said anything other then a quick kiss on the lips or cheek or hand holding is against school policy.

[MountainLaurel]

9. Remember the kid in Philly

Who was caught by police making out with his boyfriend in the park, and was threatened by the police with being outed and killed himself instead?

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/12302prs20001107.html

The school district and that principal should thank their lucky stars this wasn't the outcome.

[Ian David]

11. I don't think I'd heard about that one...

<snip>

Marcus Wayman, 18, was in a parked car with a 17-year-old male when police questioned the two, found condoms while searching the car, and arrested them for under-age drinking. At the police station, officers lectured the two teens about the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality and threatened to tell Wayman's grandfather that he was gay. After Wayman, a high school football player, was released from police custody, he committed suicide in his home.

Wayman's mother, Madonna Sterling, sued the town and the officers for police misconduct, discrimination and violation of the right to privacy. Although the case has not yet gone to trial, the police officers asked the federal appeals court to let them out of the case on the basis that it was not clear that the right to privacy protects lesbians and gay men.

The ACLU said the decision sends a particularly clear warning to adults whose professions entrust them with highly sensitive information about young people and sexual orientation.

"In no uncertain terms, this decision tells guidance counselors, teachers, clergy and law enforcement officials that if they reveal someone's sexual orientation, there will be serious, financial consequences," said Matt Coles, Director of the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. "This tragic case is an extreme example of something that goes on far too often. But today - thanks to Mrs. Sterling's extraordinary courage - we have an important tool to stop this sort of thing from happening again, and to educate professionals who ought to know better."

More:
http://www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/12302prs20001107.html

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. Who would've called her mom if she'd been seen hugging/kissing a boy?

No one.

Fuckers.

I say call out all heterosexual high school students on their behavior and let them know they have given up their right to privacy!!

:sarcasm:

[HockeyMom]

14. Nobody had to tell us

We KNEW she was gay LONG before she came out to us. But then, I suppose we were not your "average" family. I grew up in Greenwich Village. We have several gay family members on both sides of our family.

When she did come out to us at 21, we were like, "So what else is new?" SHE was more shocked at OUR reaction.

[Solon]

15. To bad not all families are so enlightened...

My best friend grew up in a Mormon family, and, believe me, it was definately no picnic for her. She contemplated suicide, and even now, in her 30s, she still struggles with the rejection of her father.

[BlueIris]

16. BEST NEWS I'VE HEARD ALL DAY.

HUZZAH!!!

Thanks, Judge Selna! I love you!