The Smithsonian is being sued for kicking out pro-life Catholic students

A lawsuit has been filed against the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum after Catholic students were kicked out for wearing pro-life beanies.

On January 20, students from Our Lady of the Rosary School in South Carolina were visiting Washington, D.C., for the National March for Life. The group wore hats with the words “Rosary PRO-LIFE.”

While visiting the Smithsonian, the group was approached by two women who appeared to be security guards, according to student Patrick Murphey.

“They (said), ‘All people wearing a pro-life hat, take it off,’” Murphey recalled.

Someone in the group explained the hats were being used for identification. However, the group was still “accosted several times” and kicked out of the museum, says the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is representing 9 students and 3 parents who claim the museum violated their constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection. 

“The museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a ‘neutral zone’ where they could not express such statements,” wrote ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow. “The employee who ultimately forced the students to leave the museum was rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.”

The Smithsonian released a statement after the event saying the actions of museum staff weren’t in accordance with the museum’s policy.

“Asking visitors to remove hats and clothing is not in keeping with our policy or protocols,” said Alison Wood, deputy director of communications for the museum. “We provided immediate training to prevent a re-occurrence of this kind of incident, and have determined steps to ensure this does not happen again.”

According to the ACLJ, similar incidents against pro-life visitors took place elsewhere in the city. 

“We have already heard from more individuals who were forced to cover up pro-life t-shirts or be forced to leave another federal museum that same day,” wrote Sekulow. “This is not some isolated incident. We are seeing a pattern of unconscionable behavior and attacks on pro-life students across the federal government.”