“Noel”, an 18-year-old high school senior who attends Cocoa High School in Brevard County, Florida has been suspended for causing a disturbance at the school. What did the high school student do? According to Gawker on Jan. 20, Noel was suspended after the school learned that he starred in a gay porn video.

After word got out about the porn video, classmates bullied Noel and as a result the school decided to punish Noel for participating in a non-related school activity, which is legal since Noel is 18. The suspension has caused Noel to fail his classes and therefore put his chances of graduating in jeopardy.

The main issue with the suspension is that Noel does have the right to do what he wants on his own time as long as it is within legal limits. The school’s action punishes him for an adult decision, which supporters claim they have no right to do since he is of age.

The suspension has gathered support for Noel. One person wrote on the high school’s Facebook page:

“What if he smokes when he’s away from school? Would he be suspended for that too? The principal has No right to do this. Get the ACLU involved. Shame on the principal. Unless the guys films porn in your school, get out of his sex life and his career.”

Several students have stepped up on support of Noel, who asked to be identified under his performing name. According to a member of the online community Reddit, “several students planned to protest by wearing support shirts, making posters, and skipping a class.”

Although the principal did threated to expel any students who joined in on the protest, it was confirmed that several students did skip their 7th period class this pas Friday in support of Noel.

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