Georgia's North Cobb HS Sees Gender Conformity As More Important Than Educating Students

[ccharles000]

Jonathan Escobar says he chooses to wear clothes that express himself. Skinny jeans, wigs, "vintage" clothing and makeup are the staples of his wardrobe.

"I don't consider myself a cross-dresser," he said. "This is just who I am."

But the 16-year-old says an assistant principal at North Cobb High School told him last week he needed to dress more "manly" for school, or consider being home-schooled. He had only been a student at the school for three days.

"I told myself I can't accept this," said Escobar, who wore a pink wig to school last Wednesday.

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/cobb-teen-told-he-156500.html

[RKP5637]

1. Many are far too preoccupied with gender regimentation and adherence!

[anigbrowl]

2. I'll support him in this if he agrees to go on What Not to Wear

Gender-bending is fine, but that hat has GOT TO GO.

[ccharles000]

3. I like the hat

[anigbrowl]

23. I'm having terrible flashbacks to the 80s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40K2S0-5Xo0

[Rebubula]

28. When I first saw the picture...

...I thought that it was Molly Ringwald.

If I were still in highschool (class of 86), I suspect that this guy would be one of my friends. I always gravitated to the freaks and geeks. They were much more fun and relaxed.

[MadHound]

4. Virtually all schools have a dress code policy

And just like the North Cobb district, they generally state that clothing can't provoke a disturbance. I would say that, in high school or middle school, dressing in such a fashion as this kid was doing would provoke a disturbance. Apparently it has already led to one fight and also to lunch room disturbances. I would have to come down on the side of the school on this one.

Whether or not the principal used the word "manly" is one of those things where we don't know. Kids tend to paraphrase a lot, and that could very well be the case here. If this is indeed a direct quote, it is unfortunate, but the fact still stands that this kid was dressing in a manner that would promote disturbances. And while we would all love to live in a PC tolerant utopia, the fact of the matter is that we don't and this sort of difference will cause disturbances. What, the school should have to put up breaking up fights and who knows what else on a daily basis all because of one kid?

If this is let into the schools, then we also have to let in the racist T-shirts, Confederate flags, etc. etc. Are you willing to do that?

[ccharles000]

5. ...

Expressing yourself is not bad.

[MadHound]

6. So again, it comes down to this

If you let this kid express himself by his style of dress(and don't get me wrong, I'm with you, I like the hat), are you willing to let other kids express themselves with the racist T-shirts or the Phelps family wardrobe of "God Hates Fags" etc. etc.

For schools it comes down to the practical matter of keeping the peace in school, and by stating that a student's dress can't be disruptive, the school isn't making a statement for or against expressing oneself, just that everybody needs to keep the peace within school walls.

[ccharles000]

8. ...

I think it is different. A guy wearing a dress is not spreading hate like a shirt that says ("God hates fags). But that is just my opinion.

[MadHound]

10. And I agree with your opinion, it's mine as well

But the fundy conservatives don't, they'll claim the usual bullshit that such a dress is godless, a bad influence on their kids, etc. etc. We've all seen it before.

Furthermore, if you let this kid in with a dress, then you've essentially knocked out any control that a school has on what a student wears, and yes, the hate filled kids will take full advantage of it, and if they are refused, all they have to do is go to court, point to the kid in a dress, and voila, the Phelps family wardrobe is legal in schools.

I'm not against this kid expressing himself, I am on the side of the school trying to keep the peace.

[ccharles000]

12. sometimes I think you can just say fuck "peace"

Sometimes you have to do what you think is right even if others don't like it. If we bowed down to what bigots wanted being gay would probably still be illegal.

[MadHound]

14. I can't go there with you on that one

I can't condone turning schools into a battle ground over what people wear. I'm just as adamantly opposed to kids wearing Confederate flags or other hate gear. The schools are already overtaxed and overburdened already, they don't need to have fights breaking out over what somebody wears.

[ccharles000]

19. ...

I know this is not exactly the same but that was the attitude of many white people when the schools started to desegregate. A lot of people did not want people who were different in the school. But even if many white people did not want black people in their schools they went anyway because things needed to change.

[MadHound]

20. Sorry, but when you boil it down, what you wear is a choice, unlike skin color

Yes, I get that he is expressing his inner self, I have no problem with that, but do we also allow the nudists, or the inner hate mongers at school express their inner selves? Do you want your kid to "tolerate" the hate speech on another kid's shirt? On and on it can go, rolling up into a huge shitstorm that effectively shuts down schools.

[ccharles000]

22. I guess we are just going to disagree.

But I don't think you can compare hate speech with wearing something apart from your gender. And think about this this kid may not be trans but what about those that are. They are born that way and no school should have the right to tell them they can't be themselves.

[keroro gunsou]

13. let those good old boys and girls

"express themselves" with their stars and bars and whatever other racist shit they'd like to wear, but remind them not to come crying to the principal if some one decides to beat their ignorant ass as a result of it.

[MadHound]

17. Oh that's bright, and the schools become a war zone while the adults who are in charge

Say don't come crying to me because you brought it on yourself. Yeah, OK, so the fights rage on, and this kid in Cobb County gets his ass kicked, and others like him throughout the country. Is that what you want?

[keroro gunsou]

25. my bad...

i forgot the sarcasm thingie... twas late for me and i was thinking beyond my snark.... i've got far too many of the stereotypical "ignorant, redneck shitkickers" in my family, some of whom would benefit greatly from a good smack upside the head. one of whom enjoys parading around in his pick up with stars and bars adorning it... i will spare you all some of the stupid stuff he says to me, but suffice it to say if he said that to any of my friends, they'd probably beat him within an inch of his life.

note to self, posting while over-tired is not a good thing.

and as to the kid in cobb county, kids don't really need much of a reason to be stupid to each other, much less resort to violence, they are kids. as much as i hate to say it, coming up from catholic school, uniforms are starting to look pretty good right about now.

[Kceres]

15. I don't know. Frilly clothing is one thing and hate speech, another. n/t

[MadHound]

18. It still all boils down to a free speech issue,

And if you're letting one kid express himself with frilly clothing, then you've got to let the other kid express himself with the hate gear. That's how the double edged sword of the First Amendment works.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. At my daughters' high school there were a few students who dressed bent

Nothing ever came of it and its was basically ignored.

[MadHound]

11. Your daughter's school is a rarity

Or perhaps it is the local. I live in the Midwest, rural, fundy and conservative. If this kid showed up to school, allowed to dress as he wanted, then all hell would rain down, the hate wear would come out of the closet and the schools would become a battle ground. The schools already have enough to deal with without having to do so with no dress code.

Are you willing to allow gang colors to be worn at inner city schools? Are you willing to allow Confederate flags in school, or the Fred Phelps line? That's what overturning school dress policies will lead to.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

26. The locale was southern MD, and it really surprised me that it was so laid back

May have been the principal at the time.

[marmar]

9. Cobb f**king County.....

My friend used to live there; He bolted quickly.

[Liquorice]

21. Cobb County isn't THAT bad, jeez. It's an enormous county with a couple of very nice areas. nt

[Starry Messenger]

16. I'm surprised people are so complacent about his punishment.

High school dress codes are usually only restricted to "disruptive" clothes being disallowed. In my neck of the woods, disruptive is hate speech, illegal activities (pot leaves, beer ads, etc.) and too much skin. If someone said a student had to dress more "manly" it would be lawsuit time. His style sounds cute and fun. I teach high school ceramics and my only worry would be him getting clay in his wig. :shrug:

[ccharles000]

24. +1

[The2ndWheel]

27. Is gender individuality more important than educating students?

Schools are based on conformity. That's the only way they work. If your individuality becomes a problem for the whole, then you have to sacrifice at least some of that for the greater good(you can choose not to, but you have to pay the consequences for doing so), or else the system breaks down. You can't show up to class any time you wish and expect everything to start when you get there. You can't not do the work and expect the same grade as someone who did.

The never ending fight between individuality and conformity. We want the best of both. It's a shame the scale only adds up to 100.

[Arkana]

29. Bah. We had guys wear dresses at least twice a week.

No one blinked.

We had guys (and girls) who used rather liberal amounts of duct tape on their clothing. No one blinked.

The kid's a shitty dresser, but I really don't see why he can't be allowed to wear what he wants unless he starts wearing shirts that advocate white pride or killing Jews or whatever.

[Barack_America]

30. Is it "skirts only" for women too?

Or are women allowed to "dress like men", as the fundies would say, and wear pants and jeans?

[RKP5637]

31. The RW and CR, always trying to dictate the thoughts/looks/sex-roles for the "real" Americans!

Elements of this country (RW and CR) preoccupy themselves with so much dribble while the rest of the world is gearing up for the 21st century. I've seen some birthers, tea-baggers and that whole lot that look pretty ridiculous. I recall in my HS decades ago some of the thugs in my school holding down a guy and cutting his hair off because it was too long... wasn't even over his ears, just had a long wave combed back like Elvis. I think they were jealous. The guy was good looking and dated the prettiest girl in our HS.

In the best of worlds this kid could dress as he wants, but America today is quite far from the best of all worlds.