A judge in the Eastern District of Michigan held that a high school economics teacher violated his student’s free speech rights for kicking him out of class (hat tip to Mark Brennan).  The student, Daniel Glowacki, dared to voice disapproval of homosexuality – a major offense in today’s educational institutions.

This took place back in 2010 during one of those new Orwellian events – an “anti-bullying day”.  The school’s Gay Straight Alliance (don’t kids have wonderful after school clubs these days?) asked students to wear purple to mark the occasion.  Glowacki stated that as a Catholic he disapproved of homosexuality.  The outraged teacher then demanded he recant and when the young man refused, threw him out of class.

Not that Glowacki’s success is anything to get excited over.  The judge, Reagan appointee Patrick J. Duggan, assessed a whole $ 1 in damages.

I personally remember the unvarnished horror of my classmates when over lunch in the college cafeteria, I explained that in my native Russian, the term “straight” simply doesn’t exist, a heterosexual man is known as “normal”.  Their eyes became round with shock, the color drained from their faces, and as on cue, they all looked over their shoulders.  One would think I gave a Nazi salute in the middle of the cafeteria.  As another Soviet Jew used to say –  “America: What a country!”