Outrage after pro-Trump hats blurred in yearbook

(WPMT/WFLA) – A pro-Trump teenager’s support of the White House fell victim to digital editing when his MAGA hat was blurred out of his high school yearbook. 

Jeremy Gebhart, 16, said he and his friend decided to show their support for President Donald Trump during Littlestown High School’s Spirit Week in October. 

“I just think he wants to help our country and I think he is,” Gebhart said of the president.

They were photographed in their hats and one of the photos landed a spot in the yearbook, but there were some changes. 

“They like blurred our hats out,” Gebhart said. 

“I was infuriated because he wears that hat because he supports our president. He’s not doing anything illegal whatsoever, he’s wearing a hat of support,” said Jeremy’s mother, Lorraine Gebhart. “It’s very upsetting, someone did this on purpose to blur out that Trump logo and make their own statement.”

Jeremy said he is disappointed in the school’s decision to blur their hats and feels his rights have been taken away. 

“Everybody has First Amendment rights, freedom of speech and they are allowed to think what they want and say what they want but they aren’y allowed to take that away from other people,” said Jermey Gebhart.

The school district provided a statement to WPMT, saying in part: “The mistake was not noticed during the editorial preview process prior to print. We apologize on behalf of the yearbook club. It is not the policy or practice of the district to improperly censor speech.”

“It is OK to disagree with peoples’ views but what’s not OK is taking your freedom of speech and using it to take away someone else’s,” said Lorraine Gebhart. 

The Gebhart’s say they have a message for whoever was behind the decision: “You did not silence us.”