Knox County high school student wears controversial shirt in protest

Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by John McCulley in Local News

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Around the nation, students took a vow of silence Friday to bring awareness to the harassment of gay students. Several Knox County students took part, but one protestor wore a shirt he was told to change.

The school system acknowledged the day in an email read to all students over the intercom on Thursday:

All,

I’m sure all of you are aware by now that this Friday has been promoted as the National Gay/Lesbian Lifestyle Day of Silence. Our expectation is that this Friday is and will be a normal instructional day. We expect teachers to instruct their course content and students to be engaged. We certainly respect the rights of those students who wish to remain silent during passing periods, lunch, as well as before and after school. However, this does not negate the fact that teaching and learning is to proceed in all classrooms just as any other instructional day.

Ed Hedgepeth, Director of Secondary Instruction, Knox County Schools

The acknowledgement upset at least one student who decided to wear words of protest.

Central High School student Chase Helton, 16, says he wasn’t upset that a group of students organized a day of silence, but that the school system seemed to support it.

In protest, Helton wore a T-shirt that read, “Homosexuality is wrong. You will burn in Hell.” The strong message made school administrators uncomfortable and Helton was sent to the office.

Chase says his vice principal ordered him to cover up the shirt. “She told me the shirt was not school appropriate and there was no sense in me wearing it. So, she just gave me this shirt to put on and sent me back to class.”

Chase did what he was asked to do, but says allowing some to express their beliefs and not others violates his rights.

His Dad, Gary White, agrees. When asked if he knew what Helton had written on his shirt before coming to school, White said, “Yes I sure did and I perfectly agree with it. It’s Biblically based. It’s in the Bible and what he said is not untrue. It’s fact.”

Father and son both admit they knew the words would spark controversy, but neither meant to harm anyone else.

“I was prepared to stand up for my religious rights, his religious rights and the religious rights of everybody that goes here because too long the church has set back and allowed things to get out of hand,” White says.

“I’m just in it to witness,” Helton adds. “You know, maybe the T-shirt could open eyes to someone. It’s not for revenge or judgement. It’s just to open eyes.”

The principal says Central High School students who wanted to observe the day of silence, were permitted to, as long as it didn’t interfere with instruction. He also emphasized that no-one affiliated with the school promoted or showed support for the event.

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