Appeals court rules against Middleboro boy who wore ‘there are only two genders’ shirt to school

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. — A Middleboro teen who landed himself in hot water after wearing a “there are only two genders” shirt to school has lost his appeals case.

A federal appeals court judge recently sided with Nichols Middle School educators, who sent then seventh-grader Liam Morrison home last year after he refused to change the shirt.

Morrison claimed the school’s request for him to remove the shirt was a violation of his First Amendment rights, ultimately asking a Boston court to halt his school’s ban on the shirt.

“After Liam politely declined, school officials said that he must remove the shirt or he could not return to class. As a result, Liam left school and missed the rest of his classes that day,” the boy’s attorney, Logan Spena, said at the time.

After that, Liam wore another shirt to school that read, “There are censored genders,” to protest to school officials. Upon arriving for class, Spena said Liam’s teacher instructed him to go to the principal’s office where he was told that he could not wear that shirt at school, either.

Attorneys said after the second time Liam wore the shirt to school, there were threatening messages and a police detail outside of the Nichols Middle School.

“I was singled out for expressing my opinion,” Morrison said in February.

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