Will Phillips – you are the First Amendment Bad Ass of the month.
Will’s family has a number of gay friends. In recent years, Laura Phillips said, they’ve been trying to be a straight ally to the gay community, going to the pride parades and standing up for the rights of their gay and lesbian neighbors. They’ve been especially dismayed by the effort to take away the rights of homosexuals – the right to marry, and the right to adopt. Given that, Will immediately saw a problem with the pledge of allegiance.
“I’ve always tried to analyze things because I want to be lawyer,” Will said. “I really don’t feel that there’s currently liberty and justice for all.”
After asking his parents whether it was against the law not to stand for the pledge, Will decided to do something. On Monday, Oct. 5, when the other kids in his class stood up to recite the pledge of allegiance, he remained sitting down. ( source).
Will lives in Arkansas. Being a 10 year old who stands up for gay rights must be hard enough. Doing so in Arkansas can’t be easy at all. He’s getting a load of grief from his classmates and from the teachers at his school, but Will is standing fast.
You go, Will.
At the end of the interview he is asked “What does being an American mean?
“Freedom of speech,” Will says, without even stopping to think. “The freedom to disagree. That’s what I think pretty much being an American represents.”(source)
And Will wants to be a lawyer….
I’ll be proud to sponsor him for membership in the First Amendment Lawyers’ Association in about 14 years. I wonder if he would pledge if the pledge read like this.
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Yay Will! I love hearing about people who stand up by sitting down!
Thanks for posting this. I wish I were 10 and as equally idealistic.
I just sent the following e-mail to the White House:
“Dear President Obama,
I think you should read this article.
(Link to Arkansas Times article)
If a 10 year-old boy can stand up (or in this case, sit down) for equal rights, what about you?
Sincerely,”
I’m sure it’s just like spitting into the wind, but I hope someone over there finds out about this kid. If for no other reason than to feel massive shame.
StonyB, you can probably expect a visit from the Secret Service, or the addition of your name to no-fly lists.
I was hoping that the Arkansas Times allowed comments on their online articles. If they did, I just know it would be comedy gold.
Marc,
I think you’re missing the best part of the story! The dumbass substitute teacher tried to pressure and compel him to stand up and say the pledge, and he told her to jump off a bridge!
Go Will,
10 years old & already making his voice & actions count.
If he is the future of the US then it might be pretty rosy although do we really need more lawyers?
This is even more fishy than the Ballon Boy Hoax! I myself support gay marriage (at least that which should be recognized by the state) BUT c’mon this is a publicity stunt. First off the Pledge of Alligience has NOTHIN to do with gay marriage!!!!! Not even remotely! But it was the only conceiable way to bring this kid to the media’s attention. Yes, the kid is smart, precocious and very pretentious and his dad wants to cash in those quirks by making Will the poster boy for gay rights (I bet he even choose gay rights as “the cause” to make the story funnier and force everyone to ask what his classmates say. Please people don’t be taken in by these hoaxes, you’re only encouraging these insane, self-serving parents.
Will Phillips is my hero. Every week my Toastmasters public speaking club starts the meeting with the pledge, and Phillips has inspired me to sit down. I too now refuse to say the pledge until I feel it is truthful, and we do have liberty and justice for all.
Will is incredible. I made him this image so others can show their support:
http://twitpic.com/qcc6k – Will Phillips has a posse.
I am a public school teacher in Arkansas. I teach fourth grade in a predominately black school where most of the families are Democrats who nonetheless are Christians with strong family values. Having stated that for the record, I am appalled that the substitute teacher not only harassed this child, but that the principal saw no reason for her to apologize. It is a rare year that at least one child in my class doesn’t abstain from the pledge for religious reasons. This is no different. As long as Will wasn’t trying to be disruptive while the other students said the pledge, it was nothing a sub should have even said anything about. If he were my student and he suddenly stopped standing, I probably would have asked him privately what his reasons were and allowed him the option of sharing those reasons with the class. I can imagine a lively discussion about protest and civil liberties.
Shame on the principal. I hope the district’s attorney can help her see the light.
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