Federal Judge Rules Middle Schoolers Can Express Their Love Of "Boobies"

A ruling by a federal judge clears the way for kids to wear clothing that expresses their love of “boobies” without school administrators forcing them to remove it.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the judge ruled in favor of parents who sued an Easton, Penn. school district, claiming their middle school daughters’ First Amendment rights were violated when officials demanded they remove bracelets that said “I (heart) Boobies! (Keep a Breast).” in support of breast cancer awareness. The girls were suspended a day and a half for wearing the bracelets on Breast Cancer Awareness Day in October.

The judge wrote:

“The bracelets are intended to be and they can reasonably be viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce the stigma associated with openly discussing breast health.”

The school district’s attorney argued the bracelets were too distracting to other students:

“It is inconceivable that the court did not recognize that the bracelets were meant to titillate. … There’s no group more distractible than 12- to 14-year-old middle school boys.”

U.S. judge sides with middle schoolers suspended for wearing ‘I (heart) Boobies’ bracelets [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.