Change Your School: Charlene Nguon

Charlene Nguon was a senior at Santiago High School in Orange County, California. She was a straight-A student with a spotless disciplinary record. But throughout the 2004-2005 school year, Charlene was repeatedly disciplined by high school officials, who suspended her for one week and revealed Charlene's sexual orientation to her family without her permission. Why? Charlene occasionally showed affection towards her girlfriend, and was singled out for discipline even though heterosexual students are routinely allowed to hold hands, hug and kiss on campus.

The ACLU's national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, the ACLU of Southern California, and the law firm of Latham & Watkins, LLP, brought a lawsuit on behalf of Nguon and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network in September of 2005. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, seeks to clear Nguon of any unfair discipline on her record and create a district-wide policy and guidelines to ensure that gay and lesbian students are treated equally.

Visit Get Busy, Get Equal at www.aclu.org/safeschools to learn what you can do to make public schools safe and bias-free, how to defend free expression in public schools and how to help students establish GSAs.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• LGBT
• gay
• lesbian
• high
• school
• activism
• grassroots
• GSA
• GSAs
• equality
• discrimination

[emmbee]

Charlene,

I'm sorry you've had to experience the ugly side of humanity simply because you decided to show tenderness toward your girlfriend in public. Nobody can change what has already happened, but you're a very smart lady - and after having to endure what you've endured, you're a much stronger person as well. I hope you understand that not everyone is as closed-minded and as insecure as those that punished you. Some of us think you're pretty damned courageous and cool. :)

peace

mb

[SonicXStyle]

man shes right

farken teachers telling u off for shyt and picking on u.

makes me angry

and thats when i got pissed and swore at the teacher

and my mum just tells me i shouldn't swear at the teacher and tells me to get out of the house...

she doesn't even relise that the teachers are picking on me..

fark man

maybe one day i will return home

[yhohoho1124]

@TheMarkOne Coming from a person who uploads videos of monkeys.

[xChiNkSy]

Im a senior at santiago high school right now; ugh i hate it.

[37Gabriel38]

sad that you were mistreated

[tranjj]

I was friends with her girlfriend. I remember Charlene disappearing that second semester. When I found out what happened, it pissed me off.

[SonChangeurways18]

get back in da closet faggots

[MrSticknthemud]

its realy sad to c a school act like that we hav tons of females kissing n front of teachers and nothing ever happnes 2 them but my school preety much says that no1 can make fun of a gay or bi person and yet theres no gsa there

[drdonkeyjumpandshout]

you dont get your diciplinary record eraced just cause you " i kissed a girl and you liked it"

[TheMarkOne]

lol she lost and its over with because it was stupid and no point to it.

[SonicXStyle]

dont get me wrong

but i believe schools gotta give you diversity distinction as well as respect

so you dont go around calling people retarded

cause you never experienced a racist teacher.

i dont really care no more though

now im happy enjoying school getting respect i need with all my friends.

i can tell by your videos sledding down your stairs that your not a retard.