Being gay doesn’t mean having to say you’re sorry. But apparently the faculty and administration of Jacksonville Junior High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, never got that memo.

Thomas McLaughlin, a ninth-grader at Jacksonville, was forced to read the Bible, listen to anti-gay preaching and censor his speech, all for the crime of mentioning that he was gay during school hours. According to the school district, McLaughlin’s “discussions outside of class time disrupted the learning process” and it was appropriate to discipline him.

Outside of class. He didn’t jump on his desk and throw his algebra book around the room. Nor did he crawl out of the first-floor window when the substitute teacher wasn’t looking. That would have been disruptive.

No, McLaughlin simply talked about his sexuality outside the classroom. He’s a 14-year-old student in a public school. That’s allowed. And thankfully, the American Civil Liberties Union thinks so too.

The ACLU filed a lawsuit on McLaughlin’s behalf, claiming that the school district violated his rights by refusing to let him talk to his classmates about being gay. U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele, in talks with ACLU attorneys, said that under the First Amendment, schools cannot “silence or restrict students’ speech unless it is disruptive.”

According to the ACLU, the school attorney agreed that the school could not restrict McLaughlin’s speech during non-instructional time.

Not only did the school district attempt to restrict his speech by means of religious punishment and lectures, school officials actually called McLaughlin’s mother last year to let her know that her son was gay. She was understanding, but the school officials continued to harass her son, making him read the Bible after a teacher told him he was abnormal.

Don’t dismiss this case as an example of Bible Belt discrimination. It happens in Iowa, too.

Jerryn Johnston, an openly gay student at Gilbert High School, faced an apathetic school board last year after he reported vandalism to his car on school property, among other hate crimes. The school board decided the case was not compelling enough to include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy.

And don’t forget the recent vandalism on campus. “Die Fag Die.” “Dean of Fags.” “ISU Fag Rag.”

Although the administration quickly condemned the acts, the fact that such outwardly hateful sentiments fester among ISU students is unsettling, and speaks to the need of greater education and understanding of LGBT issues.

Education and understanding like this could prevent cases like McLaughlin’s and Johnston’s from ever happening again.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Katie List