Chris Sigler, Tennessee High School Student, Allegedly Assaulted By Principal For Wearing Pro-Gay Shirt

A Tennessee teen is claiming to have been both verbally and physically assaulted by his high school principal last week after wearing a T-shirt in support of establishing a gay-straight alliance among the student body.

As The Advocate is reporting, Chris Sigler wore a homemade T-shirt to Sequoyah High School in Madisonville. Tenn. on Sept. 27 emblazoned with the phrase, "Gay Straight Alliance: We've Got Your Back." Though Sigler was told to cover up his T-shirt, he wore it later that week on Sept. 30.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is assisting Sigler and other students in the case, says Principal Maurice Moser approached Sigler in a classroom, and released a statement detailing the confrontation that allegedly followed:

Sigler says that Moser then ordered all students out of the classroom, except for Sigler’s sister Jessica, who refused to leave. According to both students, Moser then grabbed Sigler’s arm, shoved him, and chest-bumped him repeatedly while asking “Who’s the big man now?” Sigler’s mother reported that when she arrived at the school, she saw her son seated in a desk with Moser leaning over him and shouting in Sigler’s face. The Siglers filed a report about the incident that afternoon with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

As The Advocate reports, the Sigler family has filed formal charges with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, and ACLU officials plan to file a lawsuit if steps to make amends for the assault are not made. "This is a grossly disproportionate and potentially illegal response to students' efforts to form a school club," write Tricia Herzfeld, legal director of ACLU's Tennessee chapter, and Amanda Goad, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, in a demand letter addressed to Monroe County Schools Director Michael Lowry. "The school has a legal obligation to ensure the safety of all its students, and failure to fulfill this obligation can have devastating consequences for students and their education and expose the school and district to extensive liability."

In the ACLU statement, Sigler noted, "All I want is to have a GSA at my school to help stop the bullying against gays and lesbians and their friends who support them...The shirt was a way to use my voice and show my support for the club. The way I was treated shows even more why we need a GSA here."

LGBT blog Talk About Equality reports that Moser has claimed that the only reason a Sequoyah High School GSA was not possible was due to the fact they couldn’t find an appropriate faculty sponsor, but notes the principal had "assisted other clubs with finding one."

Comments

[DTucker88]

02:56 PM on 10/13/2011

Which state was it that banned ALL clubs rather than admit a pro-gay club??? I can't remember, but I'm sure it was one of those nice, religious, southern states - probably TN. And yes, I lived there, so I DO know what it's like.

[DTucker88]

02:52 PM on 10/13/2011

People need to understand that a lot of Tennessee is about 50 years or so 'behind the times'. Many are rigid and dogmatic, and they get a LOT of support for being that way! So will this principal be fired, or at least disciplined??? Doubtful. But I hope he is, because that means that perhaps some inroads of thought and humanity are being made, although others like him will think it's more 'devil' stuff against their religion, and their traditions. There are some 'modern' people there, but not very many, sad to say...

[andrewoman]

06:31 PM on 10/07/2011

It is apparent who the real "big man" was here. The principal has serious issues. Many times the most homophobic people are actually gay. Hence, the reason they are so emotional about the issue.

[Scott Delaney]

09:36 AM on 10/07/2011

Maurice Moser is the hero here. His only interest is protecting the integrity of his school. http://www.michaelcrook.org/2011/10/07/do-what-is-right/

[ladyleonorfarfan]

11:58 AM on 10/07/2011

You have every right to believe that homosexuality is wrong, and you have every right to express that opinion. You do NOT, however, have the right to tell my child that because he is gay he is worthless. You do not have the right to bully my child to the point that the only recourse he sees is suicide.
Yes, the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. I wonder, though, how much do you like your shrimp cocktails or your pork roast, because Leviticus also tells us that these are abominations. Why is it okay to break these laws from the Bible, but not Leviticus 18:22? What about the women in your community who wear pants? Deuteronomy 22:5 says this is wrong, are they as morally abhorrent as gays? I don't see the Westboro Baptist Church protesting this. And this is where my anger comes from. At least admit that you're picking and choosing what you want to apply.

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:42 AM on 10/08/2011

Fanned and faved. I notice that bigots bring up one verse in Leviticus yet ignore the verses dealing with eating shellfish and pork, wearing blended fabrics or planting two or more crops in one field. Talk about picking and choosing!!

[Greg Oropeza]

06:08 PM on 10/07/2011

You're what's wrong with this country if you think bullying, harassing, assaulting or berating a student with a different point of view makes this man a hero. If you are going to bring the bible into it, as the ignorant Michael Crook did, then be consistent and condone the execution of all brides who are not virgins :
Deuteronomy 22.13-21

[Json]

04:19 PM on 10/06/2011

He should have put the saying on top of a confederate flag. That would have confused the heck out of people.

[Lorenzo DeTampa]

01:18 PM on 10/06/2011

If I were the parent of that kid, I think I would be talking to a lawyer about a lawsuit in this matter regarding that principal. --or maybe that sort of thing happens after any criminal investigation. I'm sure the ACLU et al will offer sage advice. Go get 'em kid!

[kyosaku]

09:41 AM on 10/06/2011

Bullying in schools is a big problem; and kids who are perceived by their peers as GLBT are often targets, even if they are not. It must be infinitely more difficult to put the damper on bullying, when the principal is the principle bully.

Personal opinion aside he should be dismissed for abuse.

[MusingAtheist]

01:15 AM on 10/06/2011

This principal should be fired! The US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech so regardless of the principal's feelings about the GSA, he should have respected the student's right to express his opinion. The student's T-shirt did nothing to provoke or otherwise disrupt school curriculum and, as a matter of fact, sought to establish understanding between differing opinions. The fact that this principal humiliated and accosted the student should result in immediate dismissal, period!

[SkeeBee]

11:05 PM on 10/05/2011

I can't imagine a principal doing that at a school here in Canada.
OR having his job for more than a day after such a moronic, hateful act.

Care to bet he keeps his job?

[Marcus047]

04:11 PM on 10/06/2011

unfortunately, things like this do happen in catholic and other religious schools even here in Canada. The catholic schools do their best to avoid following laws and provincial mandates regarding anti-gay bullying and school safety for gays. here in ontario, the government had to force some of the catholic school boards to present the required curriculum as required by provincial law.

[SkeeBee]

07:22 PM on 10/07/2011

Firstly: I'm an agnostic and as a teacher for 20 years, no one is more pissed off about the special treatment that Catholic schools get nor how they can discriminate against me, for hiring, because of religion. That said:
The schools I was teaching at out in Oilberta had posters up that dissuaded gay bullying and intolerance and I never saw it, as you describe, in Ontario either.
I will also add that, ironically, nearly EVERY catholic school I taught at had a ragingly obvious gay male on staff. Far more than the public school system.
Go figure!
lmao.

[Annette Hammond]

10:35 PM on 10/05/2011

I hope this principle is let go.That's all i have to say about this.You go Sigler!

[jankantius]

07:51 PM on 10/05/2011

Years ago I had a very openly gay grade 5 student. I spoke to him on several occasions warning him that in Jr High he would be thrown in with students who didn't know him and would be inclined to attack him He replied that everyone already knew who he was and he would take his chances. I spent the next several months warning my class of what was likely to happen to him, and telling them that I hoped they would show solidarity with this lifelong friend. They reacted appropriately and let the other Jr. Hi kids know they would not tolerate him being bullied. I saw him years later, he had the same friends and seemed to be pretty happy with his life. Stand firm against bullying... it can work.

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:45 AM on 10/08/2011

Good for you and good for that gay student. I'm glad you spoke up. I suspect that it made all the difference in the students' lives.

[tannerlb1]

07:01 PM on 10/05/2011

That's funny. I believe what the bible says about divorce. It should be banned. You breeders get ONE chance only. That's it! It's in the bible.

[beulah4]

03:24 PM on 10/06/2011

Wait, tannerlb1, are you saying that you want right wing fundamentalist Christians to actually stop being hypocrites and acknowledge that following every single order in the Bible is probably not feasible and we should therefore actually use our brains when interpreting its intent? What a novel concept!

(and before anyone gets all "You're so anti-Christian" on me, I am a devout Christian and don't for one minute think that God feels homosexuality is wrong. I do think he might take issue with the right wing fundies for twisting the gospel and taking it upon themselves to be judge and jury of the world as if he can't handle the job himself though).

[Greg Oropeza]

06:13 PM on 10/07/2011

Do you also believe that all brides found out not to be virgins should be executed?
C'mon now, be consistent:
Deuteronom­y 22.13-21

[wfc22]

06:27 PM on 10/05/2011

I'll wager on the principal being a self-hating closet case. I'll wager as well that some Christian will come up with a twisted defense for this ***wipe... Also, unless I missed it, it's interesting that the article does not identify the kid is gay. Anyway, place your bets here!

[kyosaku]

09:55 AM on 10/06/2011

Does one need to be gay to advocate for the rights of all? I hope the young man is straight; and that he is encouraging others to not simply tolerate, but to honor and celebrate diversity.

[wfc22]

12:01 AM on 10/07/2011

Exactly. That's why I wrote that. Some were assuming he was gay.

[andrewoman]

06:37 PM on 10/07/2011

I had read in another article that he is in fact straight and was supporting his bisexual sister.

[PROGRESSISGOOD]

06:10 PM on 10/05/2011

The principal is simply a power hungry homophobe. Probably a Tea Party Regional President.

[AudreyLee]

06:07 PM on 10/05/2011

I wish my school would start something like that club...

[MusingAtheist]

01:20 AM on 10/06/2011

Clubs like the GSA are the only hope we have for establishing dialog between children whose idea of what it is to be a gay student has been tarnished by homophobic parents and/or communities. We can only hope the next generation will be more informed and pragmatic about the issue. The only way to ensure that happens is to encourage clubs/forums like the GSA where dialog is encouraged over hatred.

[AudreyLee]

04:57 PM on 10/06/2011

Absolutely, 100 percent, agree with you.