In schools all across America, right now, there are among the students gay students. This should not a controversial idea. It should not be up for discussion or debate. And the sexual orientation of kids who are gay is as much a part of their identity as it is for ones who are straight — no more, no less. So why then do we still have schools that are so skittish around acknowledging that gay people exist, and that gay people exist in their own student communities? At Faubion Middle School in McKinney, Texas, students claim they were sent home Wednesday for wearing shirts with the words “Gay O.K.,” and that “several others” were also told to cover up the message. At least 15 students had worn the shirts to school to express support for a seventh-grade classmate who recently came out and, they say, has been the target of bullying.

Two schools try to stop gay kids – and their supporters – from speaking up