Tennessee School Withholds Diploma After Student Comes Out Online—Now She’s Suing

A Tennessee high school senior is taking legal action after her Christian school cut her off from graduation—for simply coming out.

Morgan Armstrong, a senior at Tennessee Christian Preparatory School in Cleveland, had her diploma put on hold and was suspended after she posted pictures on Instagram with her girlfriend, including one where they shared a kiss. The caption read “cat’s out the bag,” letting her friends know she was proudly living in her truth.

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But that truth didn’t sit well with school leaders. TCPS accused Armstrong of violating its social media policy and claimed she made “disparaging remarks” about the school in a private message where she called out conservative backlash from “Trump supporting ‘Jesus’ mfs.” The school called the message damaging to their reputation and hit her with a suspension and a block from all senior events—including her own graduation.

Armstrong’s family pushed back immediately, filing a lawsuit claiming the school overstepped its own rules. Their attorney says first-time social media violations only warrant a one-day suspension, not this level of punishment. What Armstrong shared wasn’t about the school—it was about herself.

TCPS responded saying they haven’t officially been served with the lawsuit and called the allegations “misleading.” However, they insist they still plan to send Morgan her diploma on June 15.

In the meantime, Morgan’s fighting not just for her diploma, but for every student who’s ever been punished for being who they are.