QoTD: Justin vs. Vineland School District

by: Rosi Efthim

Thu Apr 14, 2011 at 01:04:00 PM EDT

Seeing all these websites that are considered somehow unacceptable because of something I am was really offensive to me.

Incredibly, Justin was trying to research on Harvey Milk, one of the nation's first openly gay elected officials, assassinated by fellow San Francisco city supervisor Dan White. And he found his online access to that info blocked. Censored out. After complaints from students - including Justin - and staff, and following an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for documents on the matter, Vineland Schools removed their filter.

Justin's quote is from an action memo from New Jersey's ACLU. The national American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent letters this week to schools in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania and Virginia demanding they stop LGBT website censorship.

Does your local school censoring LGBT info from kids by blocking or filtering websites? ACLU-NJ filed OPRA requests this week to request 26 South Jersey school districts' contracts with internet filtering software providers.

If you think your school is illegally blocking sites that contain LGBT info, ACLU-NJ wants to know about it. Hit them up here. Meanwhile, congrats to Justin. We love it when teenagers stand up for their rights, and the rights of others.