100% FREE ONLINE DATING
sponsored links
Previous
| Topic: Girl in tuxedo denied a place in school yearbook | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
By Chris Joyner, USA TODAY
JACKSON, Miss. — Veronica Rodriguez describes her daughter, 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis, as "a perfect child": a straight-A student, a goalie on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Destructive Decisions.  Sturgis also is gay and feels more comfortable in boys' clothes, her mother says. So Rodriguez supported her daughter's decision to wear a tuxedo, rather than the drape customary for girls, when she had her senior portrait made in July. Now she is battling officials at Wesson Attendance Center in the Copiah County (Miss.) School District. Rodriguez said she received a letter from the school in August stating that only boys could wear tuxedos and have since refused to include the photo in the school yearbook. The conflict is one of several this year involving how school districts handle cross-dressing students. "The yearbook is not for the parents or the teachers. It's for the students," Rodriguez said. "She's not a troublemaker. She is gay." Superintendent Ricky Clopton said the school district's attorney has assured him they are within their rights to exclude the photo. Sturgis said she has received support from classmates and people around the nation. "It's really an amazing feeling," she said. The Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union warned the district that they are violating Sturgis' constitutionally protected freedom of expression, legal director Kristy Bennett said. Candace Gingrich of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, said it is not uncommon for LGBT students to clash with school officials on this issue. "It's a matter of self-expression," she said. Other school conflicts this year: • In Waldorf, Md., a Westlake High senior was denied the option of wearing a tuxedo for her yearbook photo. Her mother complained, and the school reversed the decision after discovering other schools had allowed it, schools spokeswoman Katie O'Malley-Simpson said. • In Dunnellon, Fla., a 16-year-old boy was sent home in March for violating Marion County School District dress code by wearing makeup, high-heeled boots and a bra. The policy on the district website states that students must dress "in keeping with their gender." Kathy Richardson, of the school district, said the boy's cross-dressing was an isolated event. • In Lebanon, Ind., school officials in March reversed a ban on cross-dressing when a female senior decided to wear a tux to the prom. The girl sued the district, but the issue was settled when a "gender-neutral" policy was adopted. "We were OK with making that switch," Lebanon High Principal Kevin O'Rourke said. In Sturgis' case, the deadline for yearbook photos was Sept. 30. Rodriguez hopes the school will reconsider. Contributing: Marquita Brown. Joyner and Brown report for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. Article here http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-18-yearbook-photo-lesbian_N.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gotta admire her guts, though it seems she is having more trouble with adults than her class mates. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"They've" always been out there. The people who say if you don't act like me, then you can't be in "Our" society.
I was banned in 1965 from the senior photos because I had a Beatle haircut....it'll never end. Just remember, what goes around comes around. Gotta love that karma thing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How sad that the school demands conformity and discourages individuality. This is, sadly, the model for government schools throughout the ages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"They've" always been out there. The people who say if you don't act like me, then you can't be in "Our" society. I was banned in 1965 from the senior photos because I had a Beatle haircut....it'll never end. Just remember, what goes around comes around. Gotta love that karma thing. Wow, I didn't know such things like that happened. My senior pic was taken in 1977. Any hair was acceptable. So many guys had hair longer then the girls back then. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
She should be able to wear a tux for her photo. It's her photo and she will be the one paying for it. Senior pictures are expensive!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl?
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How sad that the school demands conformity and discourages individuality. This is, sadly, the model for government schools throughout the ages. Schools have always demanded conformity...and discourage individuality. Much easier to control if all are the same... Good thing for the world there will ALWAYS been those who choose to step out of the line and unfold their arms. I did and my sons did.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jesus, my daughter had a 8 inch three colored Mohawk the day of yearbook pictures.
As long as you're not showing too much skin, or have on a rude t-shirt, those are the rules at my kids school. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl? You can't tell she's a girl? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How sad that the school demands conformity and discourages individuality. This is, sadly, the model for government schools throughout the ages. Schools have always demanded conformity...and discourage individuality. Much easier to control if all are the same... Good thing for the world there will ALWAYS been those who choose to step out of the line and unfold their arms. I did and my sons did.. Yupper, in the end its all about control. Heaven forbid someone show the courage to be who they are and not what society expects of them. We have no come so far after all. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The high school I attended was gender neutral, we could wear clothing that we were comfortable with. They always kept trying to instill in us the idea of individuality :)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl? You can't tell she's a girl? no looks like a boy to me, she's achieved her goal right? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Schools have rules just like any other public institution.We weren't allowed to wear hats in our high school,cut off shorts,torn or holed jeans and shirts,and many other rules.I was expelled from my first day in High school for having long hair.The principle told me to "get a haircut" or find another high school.So I got a haircut.Big freakin deal.
Perhaps this woman needs to check the schools policies and rules that were probably written when she will still peeing in her diapers and then see if she was being singled out or if the school was just simply enforcing the rules.I'm sure there are a 1000 other high schools out there that have the same rules that would do exactly what this school did. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Chris Joyner, USA TODAY JACKSON, Miss. — Veronica Rodriguez describes her daughter, 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis, as "a perfect child": a straight-A student, a goalie on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Destructive Decisions. Sturgis also is gay and feels more comfortable in boys' clothes, her mother says. So Rodriguez supported her daughter's decision to wear a tuxedo, rather than the drape customary for girls, when she had her senior portrait made in July. Now she is battling officials at Wesson Attendance Center in the Copiah County (Miss.) School District. Rodriguez said she received a letter from the school in August stating that only boys could wear tuxedos and have since refused to include the photo in the school yearbook. The conflict is one of several this year involving how school districts handle cross-dressing students. "The yearbook is not for the parents or the teachers. It's for the students," Rodriguez said. "She's not a troublemaker. She is gay." Superintendent Ricky Clopton said the school district's attorney has assured him they are within their rights to exclude the photo. Sturgis said she has received support from classmates and people around the nation. "It's really an amazing feeling," she said. The Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union warned the district that they are violating Sturgis' constitutionally protected freedom of expression, legal director Kristy Bennett said. Candace Gingrich of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, said it is not uncommon for LGBT students to clash with school officials on this issue. "It's a matter of self-expression," she said. Other school conflicts this year: • In Waldorf, Md., a Westlake High senior was denied the option of wearing a tuxedo for her yearbook photo. Her mother complained, and the school reversed the decision after discovering other schools had allowed it, schools spokeswoman Katie O'Malley-Simpson said. • In Dunnellon, Fla., a 16-year-old boy was sent home in March for violating Marion County School District dress code by wearing makeup, high-heeled boots and a bra. The policy on the district website states that students must dress "in keeping with their gender." Kathy Richardson, of the school district, said the boy's cross-dressing was an isolated event. • In Lebanon, Ind., school officials in March reversed a ban on cross-dressing when a female senior decided to wear a tux to the prom. The girl sued the district, but the issue was settled when a "gender-neutral" policy was adopted. "We were OK with making that switch," Lebanon High Principal Kevin O'Rourke said. In Sturgis' case, the deadline for yearbook photos was Sept. 30. Rodriguez hopes the school will reconsider. Contributing: Marquita Brown. Joyner and Brown report for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. Article here http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-18-yearbook-photo-lesbian_N.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gotta admire her guts, though it seems she is having more trouble with adults than her class mates. This is just stupidity to me. Let her wear what she want to. It is not like she wants to wear gang garb or whatever. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl? You can't tell she's a girl? no looks like a boy to me, she's achieved her goal right? Actually she looks alot like Olympic Champion, Mary Lou Retton when she won in 1984. She was quite boyish herself. The goal is not to be a boy, the goal is to dress they way she feels most comfortable. If a model or famous singer dresses in a tuxedo, and we say nothing about it, yet if a gay girl want's to wear one we have a problem with it. I know straight women that look as boyish as she does and they aren't gay. I dress the same way and have never wanted to be a man. I mean think about it. Do you go hiking or camping in a dress? Or climb in a heels? Probably not right? Do you sleep in makeup? So I have to wonder why it would that be a big deal? Not being sarcastic just asking. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl? You can't tell she's a girl? no looks like a boy to me, she's achieved her goal right? Actually she looks alot like Olympic Champion, Mary Lou Retton when she won in 1984. She was quite boyish herself. The goal is not to be a boy, the goal is to dress they way she feels most comfortable. If a model or famous singer dresses in a tuxedo, and we say nothing about it, yet if a gay girl want's to wear one we have a problem with it. I know straight women that look as boyish as she does and they aren't gay. I dress the same way and have never wanted to be a man. I mean think about it. Do you go hiking or camping in a dress? Or climb in a heels? Probably not right? Do you sleep in makeup? So I have to wonder why it would that be a big deal? Not being sarcastic just asking. I was trying to be mean, just saying she looks like a boy, her goal was achieved. My opinion |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a girl?  
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The important thing's we comment on in here !!!????
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I see nothing wrong with the way she chose to dress. I highly doubt her goal was to look like a boy, she just felt more comfortable in a tux than she did in a dress. My mom is 52 and has never once worn a dress in her life. Jeans and T-shirts, when we would go out, she would wear jeans and a nice blouse or a sweater. She didn't even wear a dress to my sisters wedding.
I should point out that my mother has been handicapped since she was only 28, she only has one leg and a broken back, whcih I would figure would make a dress more comfortable.....Not gonna happen lol |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Chris Joyner, USA TODAY JACKSON, Miss. — Veronica Rodriguez describes her daughter, 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis, as "a perfect child": a straight-A student, a goalie on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Destructive Decisions. Sturgis also is gay and feels more comfortable in boys' clothes, her mother says. So Rodriguez supported her daughter's decision to wear a tuxedo, rather than the drape customary for girls, when she had her senior portrait made in July. Now she is battling officials at Wesson Attendance Center in the Copiah County (Miss.) School District. Rodriguez said she received a letter from the school in August stating that only boys could wear tuxedos and have since refused to include the photo in the school yearbook. The conflict is one of several this year involving how school districts handle cross-dressing students. "The yearbook is not for the parents or the teachers. It's for the students," Rodriguez said. "She's not a troublemaker. She is gay." Superintendent Ricky Clopton said the school district's attorney has assured him they are within their rights to exclude the photo. Sturgis said she has received support from classmates and people around the nation. "It's really an amazing feeling," she said. The Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union warned the district that they are violating Sturgis' constitutionally protected freedom of expression, legal director Kristy Bennett said. Candace Gingrich of the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, said it is not uncommon for LGBT students to clash with school officials on this issue. "It's a matter of self-expression," she said. Other school conflicts this year: • In Waldorf, Md., a Westlake High senior was denied the option of wearing a tuxedo for her yearbook photo. Her mother complained, and the school reversed the decision after discovering other schools had allowed it, schools spokeswoman Katie O'Malley-Simpson said. • In Dunnellon, Fla., a 16-year-old boy was sent home in March for violating Marion County School District dress code by wearing makeup, high-heeled boots and a bra. The policy on the district website states that students must dress "in keeping with their gender." Kathy Richardson, of the school district, said the boy's cross-dressing was an isolated event. • In Lebanon, Ind., school officials in March reversed a ban on cross-dressing when a female senior decided to wear a tux to the prom. The girl sued the district, but the issue was settled when a "gender-neutral" policy was adopted. "We were OK with making that switch," Lebanon High Principal Kevin O'Rourke said. In Sturgis' case, the deadline for yearbook photos was Sept. 30. Rodriguez hopes the school will reconsider. Contributing: Marquita Brown. Joyner and Brown report for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss. Article here http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-10-18-yearbook-photo-lesbian_N.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gotta admire her guts, though it seems she is having more trouble with adults than her class mates. IM going to be the odd woman here. The yearbook pictures are a time consuming process that the SCHOOL pays for , they arent a private photo shoot to express yourself. There is a uniform code for the pictures that applies to everyone and is therefor fare. My son would have preferred to wear jeans on his picture day too but the boys were required to wear suits. It was one day for one event and I think those paying to have the pictures taken had the right to try to keep things uniform. The rest of the year they may dress how they wish. |
|
|
|
|
