A street preacher from Tennessee is suing a school district because the district allegedly kicked his 15-year-old daughter out of class for wearing a “Homosexuality is a sin” t-shirt with a Bible quote on it. The preacher is claiming that his daughter’s free speech was violated. Richard Penkoski heads a ministry called Warriors for Christ and he filed his lawsuit against Overton County Schools early in October after his daughter was allegedly booted from class late in August. She was attending school at the Livingston Academy and claims she was kicked out of class because of her choice of t-shirt.
The Charlotte Observer reports that Penkoski’s daughter, identified as “B.A.P.” in the lawsuit, was sent to the principal’s office. He also claims that a “pro-homosexual symbol” was on display in the classroom, the lawsuit reads. Later, the teenager was informed that her shirt violated the school’s dress code because it is “sexually connotative,” according to the filing in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The filing was filed on October 16. The girl told the school administrators that she was unable to cover the shirt and then she texted her parents to inform them of what was going on.
My 15 year old was thrown out of school for the day for wearing this shirt. #lgbt wants to trample on your #freespeech rights while they cry for special rights. #warriorsforchrist #pride #homosexuality #Bible pic.twitter.com/rapqo0qZMp
— Rich Penkoski (@WFCChurch) August 26, 2020
Her father then called the principal of the school, who told him that the word “homosexuality” has the word “sex” in it, and that violated the school’s policies. The lawsuit claims that the girl’s first and fourteenth amendment rights to freedom of religion and free speech were violated. The lawsuit also cites protections granted by the state of Tennessee’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. According to the lawsuit, the school’s dress code forced the teenager to choose between “abandoning her religious beliefs” and following her personal convictions. She was then disciplined and a “substantial burden” was imposed on her, the suit claims.
This has been litigated in the courts repeatedly. Schools are permitted to have dress codes. No one’s rights were infringed. Revisit your understanding of the First Amendment and its legal limitations.
— Brian Normoyle 🏳️🌈 (@BrianNormoyle) September 13, 2020
The girl’s father claims on his Twitter profile to be the “most censored” Christian in the world and he wasted no time in sharing the photo, which shows a very smug-looking young girl. I predict she’ll regret all of this one day when she’s old enough to know how messed up it is.