Chris Quintanilla is a 14 year old student in the 8th grade at a school in Peoria, Arizona.  Chris is gay and last month, he wore a cloth rainbow wristband with the words “Rainbows are gay” written on it.  His principal told him to either take it off and not wear it or to turn the wristband inside out because some teachers felt the wristband was ”offensive”.

 Chris and his mother contacted the ACLU as they believed that Chris’s First Amendment right to free speech was being violated.  The ACLU got involved and wrote a letter to the school district addressing their concerns about the school’s decision to ban Chris from wearing the wristband.  

The letter pointed out the First Amendment protections that apply to teens as well as adults.  Ultimately, the school district agreed to lift its ban and allow Chris to wear the rainbow wristband.

For more about dress codes and freedom of expression at school, see:  http://askthejudge.info/can-i-wear-what-i-want-to-school/43/

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