Nabozny v. Podlesny
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
92 F.3d 446 (1996)
After Jamie Nabozny (plaintiff) disclosed he was gay in seventh grade, classmates repeatedly harassed and physically abused him, including a mock rape witnessed by twenty laughing students, being pushed into a urinal and urinated on, and being kicked in the stomach; school officials, including Principal Podlesny (defendant) and others, repeatedly failed to discipline the attackers, with Podlesny telling him 'boys will be boys' and that he should have expected such treatment for being openly gay, and another official laughing and telling him he deserved it. Nabozny attempted suicide because of the ongoing abuse, was ultimately diagnosed with PTSD, withdrew from the district, and sued the district and several officials under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 for violating his Fourteenth Amendment equal-protection rights; the trial court granted the defendants summary judgment.
Whether a school district that discriminates against a student on the basis of gender or sexual orientation violates the student's right to equal protection.