Liam Morrison reported to the school committee that his father had to come and pick him up from school because he refused to take off his shirt, claiming “There are only two genders.”
The young man stated that the authorities at John T. Nichols, Jr. Middle School informed him that other students had expressed dissatisfaction with his disruptive behavior, which was interfering with their learning and making them feel unsafe.
Liam explained that he was taken out of his gym class to meet with the officials.
He said, “I was told that I wouldn’t be allowed to enter the classroom unless I took off my shirt. After I politely refused to do so, they called my dad. He came to pick me up because he supports my decisions.”
He continued, “On my shirt, it said ‘There are only two genders.’ Nothing controversial. Just a simple statement that I consider to be true.”
The school administrators communicated to him that his clothing was inappropriate for his classmates. He specified that he did not attend school that day with the intention of offending anyone or causing trouble.
He said, “Who is this privileged group? Are my rights less important than their emotions? I’m not opposed to having discussions about diversity and inclusivity throughout the school. Why? Because just as I have the right to have my opinions, others also have the right to have theirs.”
Liam claimed that when he was expelled from the school, he felt like he was being told that it was inappropriate for him to have differing opinions.
He continued, “I gained a great deal of experience from this. I realized that many other students share my opinions. I also understood that adults are not always fair or wise in their actions.”
