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Paging Annie Hall: Apparently Wesson Attendance Center high school in Wesson, Miss., still hasn't heard about the menswear for ladies trend. Back in 2009, the school refused to publish a photo of Ceara Sturgis, a lesbian student, wearing a tuxedo on the "senior page" in the 2010 yearbook.
When they heard the news, Ceara and her mom made a date with the ACLU, and in October the organization wrote the school a letter, suggesting that not wearing a dress wasn't really a good reason to keep a student out. Copiah County School District officials, however, disagreed.
Then on Friday, when the yearbooks arrived, not only was Ceara's photo missing from the senior portrait section, her name was also nowhere to be seen.
"They've got kids in the book that have been busted for drugs," her mom told the Jackson Free Press. "There's even a picture of one of the seniors who dropped out of school. I don't get it. Ceara's a star student ... It's like she's nobody there, even though she's gone to school there for 12 years."
We don't get it either. In our bow-tie-loving opinions, show up nude in a class photo, and we agree, you're out. Excessive cleavage? Eh, depends on the dress code. But in this case, we're talking about a suit that buttons up to the neck.
Then again: Is it really about attire at all?
Last week, the school district -- referring all questions to its attorney -- clung to a legal precedent to justify its creative Photoshopping: A 2004 settlement in Hillsborough County, Fla., which upheld then–Robinson High School principal Kevin McCarthy's refusal to let a female student pose for her class photo wearing a suit instead of the "scoop-necked drape" required of young ladies.
Unfortunately for those after Ceara, that student sued, and the Florida school soon changed its tune.
Of course, not everybody is pitted against the fashion-challenged senior: Her fellow students nominated her for prom queen, but Ceara refused, knowing the school would never let her accept that honor ... a prescient decision if we've ever heard one.
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Comments:
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Thursday 29 April
By Jill
THIS must be an example of that fine heterosexual morality we keep hearing so many of them scream their hateful little heads off about!
This is Heterosexual douchebaggery at its finest!
Morality indeed, bigots.
Reply
Friday 30 April
By CAROL
No, actually it's about following the rules which so very many people
can't or won't do.
Friday 30 April
By JSL
Jill, just because you value social and cultural order doesn't mean you hate gay people. My sister is gay and I love her tremendously - both her and her partner. But being gay doesn't give one the right to turn every tradition and norm of the social order on its head for selfish reasons. Girls wearing dresses and guys wearing tuxedo's is just tradition. Why can't that be honored and attended to? What is this student trying to prove? Why can't she just be gay? Why does she have to make a scene and call all attention to herself and press the issue by trying to appear male? This isn't about her sexual orientation. Its about an egocentric attempt to call attention to herself...an attempt that eschews social/cultural norms and was fashioned to be disruptive. Hats off to the school for sticking to its principles.
Friday 30 April
By Scarlett
Jill, I am a church-going Christian heterosexual, and I couldn't agree with you more. The gay-bashing going on in this country among people who say that they live for Jesus is disgusting to me. We are supposed to show people LOVE, not try to make them disappear because they are different! This young lady was displaying a style choice. Period. And the school district owes her an apology!
Friday 30 April
By vinnie
For carol and jsl... Rules are meant to be challenged. Nothing would ever be accomplished if everyone were super obedient. social acceptance is not always the right or fair thing. Some do not want to be socially correct. You two are sheep. This is the problem. too many sheep. wearing a tuxedo is not a cry for attention or a need to be in the spotlight. It is someone being true to themselves. looking like everyone else is not for everyone. The issue lies not with this girl but with everyone else who is terrified by anything or anyone who is not EXACTLY like them. The stepford sheep.
Friday 30 April
By WILL
JILL WHATS UP WITH THE NAME CALLING ARE YOU 12 ?
Friday 30 April
By Jenn
What she said!!!!!
Friday 30 April
By Keith
Dear Carol. It's about following the rules? They publish pictures of kids with drug arrests, kids who have left school and pregnant teenagerss, which happened at my school. And she was the Homecoming Queen. So if you don't think this is a homophobic retaliation then you must be listening to way too much Pat Robertson. Bigotry is bigotry and to try and use some lame excuse like rules is pathetic. I wonder how you would feel if it was your child or your best friend. Either you are homophobic or you think being a felon is less egrigious than ones sexual orientation. Think. Don't be a part of the problem. Be Christian. Not a voice of bigotry.
Friday 30 April
By Laurie
>>Last week, the school district -- referring all questions to its attorney -- clung to a legal precedent to justify its creative Photoshopping: A 2004 settlement in Hillsborough County, Fla., which upheld then–Robinson High School principal Kevin McCarthy's refusal to let a female student pose for her class photo wearing a suit instead of the "scoop-necked drape" required of young ladies.
Friday 30 April
By Jessica
I don't understand what the big deal is. If she's paying for her pictures and paying for her yearbook why shouldn't she be allowed in it? She was not being obscene, she wore a suit.
Friday 30 April
By brian
Here is the bnottom line-
If they allowed her to do this, in the future you would have class clown guys wanting to wear dresses. Even those who weren't gay. If they were not allowed, they would cry foul becaise of discrimination. Then what???
Friday 30 April
By Meg
I agree! I am a moher of 2 and I think she looks GREAT! Clean, well kept, nice teeth! Who care what she is wearing!
Friday 30 April
By Kistagirl
The school did the right thing by not allowing this student's picture into the yearbook. Schools are allowed (and should be) to set a dress code at the school and in their yearbook pictures. Its part of the kids education to learn and follow rules, but this lesbian is tryng to be allowed to break the rules simply because she is a lesbian. That is no excuse! Why should lesbians have more rights than the other students who complied with the school policy? Once this lesbian has graduated, she can go and wear tuxedos or whatever she wants, including a big sign that says she is a lesbian. No one will care. But while in high school she must follow the school rules just like the other kids. I'm glad this school didnt cave in to the politically correct view that the rules must be changed so as not to offend any lesbians. Shame on this lesbian and her mother for trying to shove her gay agenda down the throats of the other students, teachers, and parents, who just wanted a nice yearbook from their school without having to see that lesbian making her stupid statement that she is a lesbian and doesn't want to wear a dress! No one is forcing her to wear a dress- she could just opt out of being in the yearbook if it was so important of her not to wear a dress.
Friday 30 April
By WILLIAM
MAYBE I AM A BIGOT, BUT BEING QUEER ISN'T A BIRTHRIGHT IT'S A F###ING CHOICE. FREEDOM OF CHOICE EXTENDS TO ALL INCLUNDING
PEOPLE THAT DISAGREE WITH BEING GAY.
Friday 30 April
By Parrotgod
I just wish there was a nice 3 letter word we could use to refer to the hateful people out there claiming to be christians. B-I-G-O-T seems to be too big a word for them to understand.
Friday 30 April
By JJ
Hey Carol, this is clearly not simply about following rules. The tuxedo excuse is not good enough to keep this student completely out of the yearbook, something that we all cherish when we graduate. This is going too far and some school officials are getting more ridiculous than ever. Keeping out a star student and keeping the drug users in the yearbook, what a nice example. Sexual preference should not interfere with academic achievement. Get over it, this is not the first time nor the last this is going to happen. Honor students for their accomplishments and merits, not for what they look like or choose to be.
Friday 30 April
By Simzee
A lesbian that dresses like a guy is called a "BUTCH". This is a person who wants to be the "guy" in a relationship. Is this the type of person YOU want your daughter with? If you say yes, No one beleive you.
Friday 30 April
By Julie
MANY OF US WHO OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE ARE NOT DOING IT FOR CHRISTIAN REASONS. GAY PEOPLE WANT TO CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE WHICH WOULD HARM OVER 90% OF OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE HETEROSEXUAL. TRADITION MARRIAGE IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR AND THIS WOULD BE JEAPARDIZED BY CONFUSING CHILDREN WITH GAY MARRIAGE. IT WOULD CAUSE NEEDLESS EXPERIMENTATION AND WOULD NOT HELP TRADITION MARRIAGE IN ANY WAY. PROTECT OUR CHILDREN, STOP THE GAY'S FROM CHANGING THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE!!
Friday 30 April
By Ang
This comment is to JSL: The women wearing dresses and men wearing tuxedo has been shoved down our throats for far to long. I for one am female and hate dresses. Now just because some people got together and decided I should wear a dress because I'm a female is a joke.
I am not going to follow social norms because some men declared it should be so. Tell you what you stay in your narrow minded box and those who don't want to be controlled by centuries of men dominating women by telling them what is the social norm will be ourselves!
Friday 30 April
By MO
Let's say you have a good job Jill, and the dress code is slacks, nice shirt, and shoes. So you decide you don't want to dress like that and start wearing Tee shirts, jeans and tennis shoes to work, even though you know the rules. They warn you twice and leave you go. Too bad for you, as you have broken the rules. That's why they make rules to follow. Now get over it and quit being a loud mouth and venting yourself over this. Can't follow the rules, sorry about your luck!