Richard Penkoski is a tattooed street preacher from Tennessee who preaches throughout the day about Jesus Christ. Without the first amendment, the Warriors for Christ ministry would not be able to pursue its goal of talking to people about God while they go about their daily errands.
Now, the religious advocate is suing his daughter’s school because they did not want her to wear a shirt which sparked controversy among students. The shirt in question read, “Homosexuality is a sin,” which is something Penkoski strongly believes.
The 15-year-old daughter of a street preacher got into trouble for wearing a shirt with an offensive message. She was sent to the principal’s office, where she was told that she could not wear clothing that violated the school’s dress code by being “sexually connotative.”
The teenager, who often hears her father speak out against homosexuality at the dinner table of the street preacher, told the school principal that she wore the shirt as a protest. The rainbow flag flew inside her classroom at Livingston Academy and was the “pro-homosexual symbol” to which she was referring.
Now, Penkoski has filed a lawsuit against the school. His child, referred to as “B.A.P” in the lawsuit, was unwilling to cover up the shirt when asked by the principal. When he spoke to the educator about the shirt, it became clear that they found an issue with the word “homosexuality” because it includes “sex” inside of it.
The lawsuit, filed by Penkoski, argues that the school gave his daughter an ultimatum of either “abandoning her religious beliefs” or “following her personal convictions.” The teen says that she felt singled out and put under a “substantial burden.”
Penkoski snapped a photo of his daughter wearing the shirt shortly after the incident and posted it online.
“My 15-year-old was thrown out of school for the day for wearing this shirt. LGBT wants to trample on your free speech rights while they cry for special rights.”
The month following, on September 19, 2020, he wrote: “There are some educated people who support the LGBT!! While some don’t agree with the shirt my daughter wore, they understand she has a constitutional right to wear it. Her rights don’t end where your feelings begin.”
Penkoski’s lawsuit suggests that the school impeded on his daughter’s rights to free speech and religion, which are found in the First and Fourteenth Amendments. He goes on to say that the school also violated Tennessee’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
It remains to be seen if Penkoski’s lawsuit against the school will go to court or if it will be swiftly dismissed.
What are your thoughts on whether or not students should be allowed to wear shirts with messages about homosexuality at school?
