Damages awarded to pupil over 'lesbian Barbie' T-shirt
An openly gay teenager received a 30,000 US dollars (€24,000) settlement from New York City over her suspension for wearing a “Barbie is a Lesbian” T-shirt to school, her lawyer announced.
Natalie Young, now 15, wore the shirt to school in April 2002, leading officials to send her home for the day despite the absence of any official dress code.
The teenager said yesterday that the settlement should make life easier on other openly gay schoolchildren.
“I think they should feel more comfortable about who they are,” she said.
Natalie was pulled from class by the school principal and ordered to sit in an office until she changed the shirt. When she refused, she was suspended for the day.
Her lawyer, Ron Kuby, filed the federal suit last June, alleging the incident was part of a series of discriminatory incidents.
Resolving the suit without litigation was “the appropriate decision”, city lawyer Donna Kasbohm said. The city Department of Education agreed to establish a policy on student dress as part of the deal.
