Lesbian student in Miss. fights for tuxedo photo

[FreeState]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1gezUV9gTSlVri30_P2V4I5D_BwD9BBS4BO0

Lesbian student in Miss. fights for tuxedo photo
By SHELIA BYRD (AP) – 10 minutes ago

JACKSON, Miss. — Everyone at Wesson Attendance Center knows 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis is gay because she's never tried to hide it.
But when Sturgis — an honor student, trumpet player and goalie on the school's soccer team — wanted her senior photograph in a tuxedo used in the 2009-10 yearbook, school officials balked. Traditionally, female students dress in drapes and males wear tuxedos.

Now, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has gotten involved, issuing a demand letter to Principal Ronald Greer to publish the picture of Sturgis in the tuxedo. The ACLU says it's giving the school until Oct. 23 to respond before pursuing court action, said Kristy L. Bennett, the ACLU's legal director.

A secretary for Greer referred questions to Copiah County Schools Superintendent Rickey Clopton, who declined to comment on Thursday.
Sturgis said she should get to decide how she looks in the senior photo.

"I feel like I'm not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don't even care about me. All I want is to be able to be me, and to be included in the yearbook," Sturgis said in a statement.

Veronica Rodriguez, 47, said school officials are trying to force her daughter — who doesn't even own a dress — to appear more feminine.

"The tux is who she is. She wears boys' clothes. She's athletic. She's gay. She's not feminine," said Rodriguez during an interview Thursday at the ACLU office.
...

In August, Rodriguez said she received a letter from the school stating that only boys could wear tuxedos. Rodriguez said she met with assistant Superintendent Ronald Holloway who told her he didn't see regulations about the issue in the student handbook.

But when she talked with Greer, she said he told her it was his "conviction" that Sturgis wouldn't appear in the yearbook in a tuxedo.

Bennett said the teenager's constitutional rights are being violated. Bennett said similar cases, including same-sex prom couples and girls wearing tuxedos to proms, have been successfully challenged in court in other states. ACLU officials said they were unaware of any other constitutional disputes involving gay teens at Mississippi schools.

[Jamastiene]

1. I hope she wins...and she stands a VERY GOOD CHANCE at wining too.

It really meant a lot to me when my community college changed their dress code policy for graduation to allow women to graduate in a pant suit instead of dresses or skirts if we wanted to. There was thunderous applause from men and women alike when the school made the decision.

And yes, the NC ACLU helped me tremendously with that. The school did an about face on that policy when I mentioned that they would be hearing from a very nice ACLU lawyer I had contacted.

[Meldread]

2. This is ridiculous.

Doesn't the school have something better to do?

I could understand their position if she wasn't wearing formal attire, and obviously not all clothing is appropriate - schools generally have a dress code - but this is ridiculous. I see absolutely no harm in this or something even "edgy" about it. It's a reasonable request.

I mean, what's next? Are they going to outlaw pantsuits?