Christian school pays $10K to student suspended for coming out as gay

Court Battles Christian school pays $10K to student suspended for coming out as gay by Finya Swai - 06/24/26 6:25 PM ET Link copied by Finya Swai - 06/24/26 6:25 PM ET Link copied

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A Tennessee Christian school agreed to pay a former student $10,000 to settle a legal battle after she sued the school for barring her from graduation and suspending her after she came out as gay on social media.

A final judgment entered Monday resolved the lawsuit filed by Morgan Armstrong, a graduating senior at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School near Chattanooga.

Under the settlement agreed to by both parties, the private school will pay Armstrong $10,000 and rescind her suspension.

In April 2025, then-18-year-old Armstrong announced her relationship in a post on Instagram, which featured photos of her kissing and holding hands with a woman with the caption, “cats outta the bag.”

Armstrong filed the suit in May 2025, claiming that less than a week later, the school’s top administrators suspended her and barred her from all school events, including her upcoming graduation ceremony. She argued the decision was motivated by her coming out as gay.

She also alleged the school threatened to withhold her diploma and make disparaging remarks about her to prospective colleges and universities if there was any “online slander” about the school, according to the complaint.

Tennessee Christian Preparatory School denied the allegations and maintained that Armstrong violated its school policies for reasons other than being gay. The school claimed Armstrong had academic and attendance issues, excessive tardiness and that her parents failed to make required payments under its enrollment agreement.

“Tennessee Christian and the Armstrong family disagree regarding the extent to which Morgan Armstrong violated school policies,” the school said in a statement to ABC affiliate WTVC. “Both parties acknowledge that this disagreement remains unresolved and have mutually agreed to move forward. No further comments will be made regarding this matter.”

An attorney for Armstrong and her family, Daniel Horwitz, said in a statement to PEOPLE: “School is a place where every student is entitled to feel welcome, accepted, and supported.”

He continued: “It is not a place where any administrator should feel comfortable disciplining or threatening kids for being gay. We were proud to represent Morgan and her family in this righteous lawsuit, and we are thrilled to have prevailed on their behalf. We hope Morgan’s bravery will inspire others to stand up for themselves the way that she did.”

Armstrong has stood by her Instagram post publicizing her relationship, telling The Washington Post, “Everyone else gets to post their boyfriend or girlfriend. So just because I have a girlfriend and I’m a girl, why does that mean that I shouldn’t be able to?”

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