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3mo ago

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Student’s Appeal Over ‘Only Two Genders’ T-Shirt Ban

It upholds that schools can bar student expression under dress codes to protect transgender students from potentially demeaning messages.

FILE - Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
A U.S. Supreme Court Police officer leans against the statue titled the Contemplation of Justice along the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
The US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Overview

  • John T. Nichols Middle School enforced its dress code in March 2023, citing concerns about the impact of a ‘There are only two genders’ slogan on transgender and gender-nonconforming students’ well-being.
  • The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court concluded that the message could reasonably disrupt classroom concentration and affirmed the school’s authority to restrict it.
  • Conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom represented the seventh grader, arguing that barring the shirt violated his First Amendment rights.
  • Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the decision, warning that schools should not suppress viewpoints they disfavor.
  • The refusal to review the case arrives as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on a separate transgender rights dispute over bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors.