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| Topic: Girl in tuxedo denied a place in school yearbook | |
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uhhh. no it is not a school payed for event. I did not get "senior pictures" as we had to pay for them ourselves and I did not have an extra 300 dollars in order to sit for a photographer. I simply stood in the English Faculties office and had the yearbook teacher take my picture with the school camera. This girl has the right to dress the way she wants to no matter what. And even if the school did pay for the pictures, it is still the girl who is dressing up, not the staff.
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. |
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ok, lol I can understand the gimp foot being in a "shoe" but thankfully the other one is bare. My only concern now is why you aren't pregnant and in the kitchen?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<runsl ike hell before Winz throws her "gimp shoe" at his head  I'm wearing a T-shirt and shorts right now. lol But but but, that's so gay!  Sorry, Winx, couldn't resist. So be it.  I also have one bare foot and one fractured foot in a gimp shoe. Ooops, I have no make-up on either. |
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Msharmony, I've never heard of the school paying for the photos. I had to personally pay for my senior picture. They were expensive. Everybody I know til this day has had to pay big bucks for those pics - not the school. Everybody goes to a photography studio for their pictures. Now...my child is not in high school. Those pics are taken at school. I pay for them still. HEy WInx My son goes to a public school and the photographers come there for the afternoon and take EVERYONES pic. They are paid upfront for their time and equipment. THen the students have the option to pay to have the pictures or not. But whether the kids pay or not the pictures are still taken and the photographer paid. |
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same at my school, except if we wanted a package of pictures then we paid for them. the photographers took everyones pictures for free for the yearbook and to try to get people to buy the packages Now that you say that, that's very likely the way it was at my school, too. It's been so long that sometimes it can be tough to remember.  You were fortunate. PEople who earn their money taking pictures rarely give away their time for free. |
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same at my school, except if we wanted a package of pictures then we paid for them. the photographers took everyones pictures for free for the yearbook and to try to get people to buy the packages Now that you say that, that's very likely the way it was at my school, too. It's been so long that sometimes it can be tough to remember. You were fortunate. PEople who earn their money taking pictures rarely give away their time for free. |
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That still does not give the school the right to dictate what a senior may wear for their picture. The only way I would agree to the school doing so is if it already had school uniforms (which some public schools do have) and they required you to wear the school uniform for the picture. That's the ONLY way I could agree to it.
Msharmony, I've never heard of the school paying for the photos. I had to personally pay for my senior picture. They were expensive. Everybody I know til this day has had to pay big bucks for those pics - not the school. Everybody goes to a photography studio for their pictures. Now...my child is not in high school. Those pics are taken at school. I pay for them still. HEy WInx My son goes to a public school and the photographers come there for the afternoon and take EVERYONES pic. They are paid upfront for their time and equipment. THen the students have the option to pay to have the pictures or not. But whether the kids pay or not the pictures are still taken and the photographer paid. |
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Msharmony, I've never heard of the school paying for the photos. I had to personally pay for my senior picture. They were expensive. Everybody I know til this day has had to pay big bucks for those pics - not the school. Everybody goes to a photography studio for their pictures. Now...my child is not in high school. Those pics are taken at school. I pay for them still. HEy WInx My son goes to a public school and the photographers come there for the afternoon and take EVERYONES pic. They are paid upfront for their time and equipment. THen the students have the option to pay to have the pictures or not. But whether the kids pay or not the pictures are still taken and the photographer paid. our senior pictures are full-color and posed...they are the ones that the kiddos make an appointment and spend big bucks on. juniors and below get the standard plain school-pics, although this year they started having a professional photographer do those rather than the school pic company. (well, in the middle school above. my littlest still gets the cheesy pic people.) the senior pics are taken wherever the kids choose, as long as their photographer doesn't mind the location. often they take them in several places over a period of a couple of hours...they then submit their favorite for the yearbook. (i'm sure decency isn't really an issue since mommy and daddy are usually footing the bill.) |
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I think it totally matters who is paying for the photographer. If I am going to pay for someone elses clothes, for example, I have the right to have input into what I will pay for. WHether they then choose to wear it is their choice. If the school puts up the money for the photographer to take the pic,, its no big deal to take the kind of picture the school chooses. Its one day out of your life and not going to kill anyone. If the student doesnt like that look, they dont have to buy the picture and can pay a photographer to take the picture THEY like.
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ok, lol I can understand the gimp foot being in a "shoe" but thankfully the other one is bare. My only concern now is why you aren't pregnant and in the kitchen? <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<runsl ike hell before Winz throws her "gimp shoe" at his head quote] I'm wearing a T-shirt and shorts right now. lol But but but, that's so gay! Sorry, Winx, couldn't resist. So be it. I also have one bare foot and one fractured foot in a gimp shoe. Ooops, I have no make-up on either. The kitchen is closed for the night. If I throw the gimp shoe at you, I won't be able to walk.
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Edited by
yellowrose10
on
Tue 10/20/09 09:53 PM
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Msharmony, I've never heard of the school paying for the photos. I had to personally pay for my senior picture. They were expensive. Everybody I know til this day has had to pay big bucks for those pics - not the school. Everybody goes to a photography studio for their pictures. Now...my child is not in high school. Those pics are taken at school. I pay for them still. HEy WInx My son goes to a public school and the photographers come there for the afternoon and take EVERYONES pic. They are paid upfront for their time and equipment. THen the students have the option to pay to have the pictures or not. But whether the kids pay or not the pictures are still taken and the photographer paid. our senior pictures are full-color and posed...they are the ones that the kiddos make an appointment and spend big bucks on. juniors and below get the standard plain school-pics, although this year they started having a professional photographer do those rather than the school pic company. (well, in the middle school above. my littlest still gets the cheesy pic people.) the senior pics are taken wherever the kids choose, as long as their photographer doesn't mind the location. often they take them in several places over a period of a couple of hours...they then submit their favorite for the yearbook. (i'm sure decency isn't really an issue since mommy and daddy are usually footing the bill.) that's how it was when I graduated. the gown/tux were the ones that were automatically taken for the yearbook. if you wanted cap and gown and/or other outfits...those were completely separate and if you wanted ANY pictures then you had to pay. this was the same when my son graduated from the same school as me, this year. we were able to chose our own casual or dressy extra clothes, but the gown/tux (which was only the top half anyway) was provided for the pictures when I was a studio director at a dance studio....the way it worked was the photographer came in and took pictures of whatever costumes the parents wanted, then would bring in proofs and parents ordered packages from there * EDIT * it may be different in other school districts though. this is just how it's done here from K-12 grades |
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same at my school, except if we wanted a package of pictures then we paid for them. the photographers took everyones pictures for free for the yearbook and to try to get people to buy the packages Now that you say that, that's very likely the way it was at my school, too. It's been so long that sometimes it can be tough to remember. You were fortunate. PEople who earn their money taking pictures rarely give away their time for free. It's not as if the photographers were donating their time. They were paid for their work by someone, more than likely the school district, who probably received funds from the state for specific expenses such as that. |
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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 [/quote oops I meant to say I was NOT being mean.  |
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I'm so glad that you changed that.
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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. Maybe your school was different? Most people pay for their own school pictures. |
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Thanks because I wasn't.
Everyone, even though we all disagree on all these issues, that's the great thing about America. To be free to voice our opinions. I wish everyone a great day.   yeah off topic but hey. smile |
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Ain't that a B?
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What if a student is a nudist? Should they be allowed to wear nothing for the photo?
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What if a student is a nudist? Should they be allowed to wear nothing for the photo? On the one in a million chance that might really happen, I guess to assauge conservative angst we need to pass a law that all school age must wear the cookie cutter uniform that aptly demonstrates the gender on their birth certificate. No exceptions. Problem solved before it occurs. You can't be too safe, you know, from those lurking nudists waiting to despoil American life, can we? -Kerry O. |
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when I graduated high school, the photographer did the yearbook photo free
and then charged up the wazzoo for the print packages. If you just wanted your picture in the Yearbook it was free. But if you wanted 8x10's for mom and dad and both sets of grandparents and uncle and aunts and nephews and neices then it cost a couple hundred dollars (in the 70's) |
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Edited by
Atlantis75
on
Fri 10/23/09 05:35 PM
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I wonder if a gay guy wanted to dress up as a girl for the photo (skirt, bras, a wig, lipstick, fake nails and so on)
Would that be allowed? |
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