Okeechobee, FL High School Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Groundbreaking Federal Lawsuit

"I can't tell you how happy I am that the judge agreed we have a right to create a safe space for gay students at my school," said Brittany Martin, a 17-year-old upcoming senior at OHS who is the GSA's president. She added, "All we've ever wanted was to have a club to talk about tolerance and harassment so we can try to make our school a better place for all students."

In a first-of-its-kind ruling, Moore held that schools must provide for the well-being of gay students to the same extent as straight students and therefore the school may not discriminate against the GSA. In the order, the court grants students in the GSA "all the rights and privileges granted to other noncurricular groups." The victory is the second federal student rights case won by the ACLU of Florida and the national ACLU this summer.

"Judge Moore's ruling that GSAs are beneficial to gay students and that they don't harm straight students is unparalleled