A Tennessee Christian school has agreed to pay her $10,000 as part of a settlement filed by a former student who claims she was barred from graduating and denied her diploma after coming out as gay.
Near the end of his senior year at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School in Cleveland, Tennessee, basketball star Morgan Armstrong came out on social media, posting photos of himself and his girlfriend, including one of them kissing. The caption read, “The cat came out of the bag.”
Armstrong then sent a private message to 10 of his friends via social media, asking them to “like” his post.
“Please comment on my post. There’s a heartless Trump out there supporting ‘Yes’ MF,” she wrote to friends.
But Tennessee Christian Preparatory School was outraged and called Mr. Armstrong and his family to a meeting with Principal Kylie Mahacek and Superintendent Jared Tilley, where administrators submitted a letter accusing the senior of making comments that reflected “the institution, facilities, staff, alumni, and students in the most negative way possible.”
The letter said Mr. Armstrong would not be allowed on campus and would be prohibited from participating in all school events, including graduation. The school said it would withhold her diploma if she commented further on the situation and threatened to send copies of her social media posts to the university.
On graduation day, Armstrong and his family staged a small protest across the street from the ceremony.
“It was hard for the people I’ve grown up with for the last four years to be able to walk across the stage and have to stand across the street knowing that I wasn’t allowed to do that,” Armstrong told the Nashville NBC affiliate. WSMV.
Armstrong’s family then filed a lawsuit in Bradley County Court of Chancery with the help of Nashville civil rights attorney Daniel Horwitz.
Horwitz disputed the school’s claims, saying, “She did not post anything about the school and her personal messages were not about the school.”
Tennessee Christian Preparatory School releases statement to Chattanooga ABC/FOX affiliate WTVC After reconciliation.
“Tennessee Christian and the Armstrong family disagree as to the extent to which Morgan Armstrong violated school policy,” the statement said. “The parties acknowledge that this disagreement remains unresolved and have mutually agreed to move forward. There will be no further comment on this matter.”
“School is a place where all students have the right to feel welcome, accepted and supported,” Horwitz told WSMV. “This is not a place where administrators feel comfortable disciplining or threatening children for being gay.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
