Smithsonian to Pay $50,000 to Ousted Tourists Wearing Pro-Life Attire

The students initially filed a lawsuit after visiting the museum during the March for Life rally on Jan. 20, 2023. At the time, they all wore beanies with the words “Rosary PRO-LIFE” as they toured the Smithsonian.

The American Center for Law and Justice, which represented the plaintiffs, noted that “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.”

An employee “ultimately forced the students to leave the museum… rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.”

At the same time, however, other museum visitors were wearing different varieties of hats without issue.

“It’s absolutely outrageous, it’s unconstitutional discrimination, and the ACLJ is fighting back,” Jordan Sekulow, an attorney and executive director of the ACLJ, wrote at the time.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs accused the federal museum of violating their First and Fifth Amendment rights under U.S. Constitution as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

“This was a clear-cut First Amendment violation, not only of their freedom of speech but of religion as well. The federal government simply cannot ban speech with which it or its employees disagree,” Sekulow said.

“Imagine this is your child being accosted, berated, and kicked out of a museum – that other children are allowed to attend – just because of their beliefs,” he added.

A month after the lawsuit was filed, the Smithsonian Institution entered into a consent decree.

They agreed to “reiterate to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, that Smithsonian policy does not prohibit visitors from wearing hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech.”

Last week, both parties reached a settlement agreement where the Smithsonian agreed to pay $50,000 and to let the tourists take a private tour of the National Air and Space Museum and to hear a video apology from museum officials.

“Defendants represent that the Smithsonian Institution has conducted a thorough investigation of the events that transpired on January 20, 2023,” the settlement states.

“In doing so, Defendants confirm that Smithsonian officials have identified and spoken with any and all Office of Protection Services officers who are known to have been involved in or participated in the events alleged, as well as with Allied Universal Security Services regarding their officers’ involvement in the direction for Plaintiffs to remove their hats.”

The museum also agreed to “reiterate via a bulk distribution method to all security officers stationed at all Smithsonian museums open to the public and the National Zoological Park, the current Smithsonian policy regarding the wearing of hats or other types of clothing with messages, including religious and political speech.”

The ACLJ previously reached a settlement in a similar case in December after security officers with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) threatened to kick out visitors who were also wearing pro-life attire.

Image credit: ©Getty Images/Alex Wong/Staff

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.