![Milton High School will allow Rachel Campbell to continue displaying a sign in her car that reads, "So gay I can't even drive straight." She received a citation Jan. 27 for lacking a valid parking permit. An additional note directed her to remove the sign as it violated the school's policy on offensive material in on-campus vehicles. [AARON LITTLE | Press Gazette]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-477e8332-6676-4426-e053-0100007f15d6-06d7dbc1-scaled.jpeg)
MILTON — Milton High School will allow a student to display a sign in her car that says, “So gay I can’t even drive straight,” and will take no further action.
Rachel Campbell, an MHS junior, received a citation Jan. 27 for lacking a valid parking permit. The ticket included a direction to remove the humorous sign, citing the student handbook.
"Students' vehicles, while on campus, should not display any tag, sticker or other materials that may be deemed offensive or obscene by other individuals," the handbook, available at https://sites.santarosa.k12.fl.us/mhs, states. "Students will be asked to remove these items and further disciplinary actions may be appropriate."
The sign became an issue when two students reported it to a school resource officer, according to Principal Tim Short and Campbell. The Santa Rosa County sheriff’s deputy who issued the ticket didn’t have a problem with the sign, Campbell said.
The story went viral on the Santa Rosa Press Gazette and Northwest Florida Daily News’ websites, resulting in discussions about civil liberties such as free speech and property rights.
The outcome?
“Mr. Short told me that I could keep the sign and I haven't been bothered yet,” Campbell said. “I think we'll be okay for now.”
However, the student remains concerned about rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students. Campbell said she recently held hands with a female friend and a group of male students walked by and called them “gross LGBTs.” The incident may have had nothing to do with the sign, she said.
As for the sign, “I have no problem with it,” Short said. “Ninety-nine percent have no problem with it, but because it was brought to the officer’s attention, if it makes somebody uncomfortable, the resource officer did exactly what the handbook stated and wrote the ticket.”
Standards vary from person to person and school to school, Short said.
“What’s offensive to one may not be offensive to another,” he said. “It depends on where you’re from. For example, students can’t wear clothing with the rebel flag. Other schools don’t have that.”
“Ultimately, (Rachel) has a right for freedom expression but I told her in a school setting that freedom of expression is sometimes tapered … In Wal-Mart, you can drop f-bombs and say unpleasant things but we have to address that in a school setting because the expectation is different.”
The school won’t change its policy on offensive material in vehicles; it will handle incidents on a case-by-case basis, Short said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Student allowed to keep LGBT-themed sign