Judge OKs school 'boobies' bracelets

[The Northerner]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Breast cancer fundraising bracelets that proclaim "I (heart) boobies!" are neither lewd nor vulgar, and can't be banned by public school officials who find them offensive, a federal judge in Pennsylvania said on Tuesday in a preliminary ruling.

The ruling is a victory for two girls suspended for defying a ban on their middle school's Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

"The bracelets ... can reasonably be viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce stigma associated with openly discussing breast health," U.S. Judge Mary McLaughlin wrote in a 40-page ruling issued on Tuesday. She added that the school district had not shown the bracelets would be disruptive in school.

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the girls, had sued to overturn the ban and stop the school from punishing their clients. McLaughlin issued a temporary injunction on Tuesday that bars the Easton Area School District from banning the $4 rubber bracelets until the case goes to trial.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/apnewsbreak-judge-oks-school-boobies-bracelets/d3b7a251d50a466ca06253d0c527e73c