Down in Wesson Mississippi, not terribly far from where a Justice of the Prejudice recently denied an interracial couple a marriage license, we have a school district getting its gender-appropriate knickers in a twist over the senior class portrait of Ceara Sturgis.
Ceara had her portrait taken wearing a tuxedo, rather than the photo-studio supplied portrait-collar-n-pearls look that girls are expected to wear. Ceara, by her own reports doesn’t dress “like a girl. I don’t even own any girl clothes.” She gamely tried it on, but quickly switched to what is, for her, much more appropriate garb.
This outrageous display of a young woman presenting herself in a thoroughly- and comfortably-dressed fashion could not go unpunished by her school’s officials, who are effectively vanishing Ceara from her own yearbook by refusing to include her picture.
The Copiah County School Board is hedging on the matter, saying only that it “goes beyond” the clothing issue. Which is sekrit kode for “lesbian panic,” because Ceara, 17, is openly gay. No comment from officials is being given on the issue of her sexuality or the role it may be playing in their decision. Ahem.
Ceara is rightfully confused about what makes her manner of dress so offensive: last year, her school hosted a themed “Backwards Beauty and Beau” pageant. A drag pageant. Which was photographed and included in the last yearbook. The cognitive dissonance on the part of school authorities is dazzling, but Ceara and her mother, Valerie Rodriguez, have accepted the offer of representation from the ACLU in hopes of getting some justice, or at least answers to her questions in title of this post.
I thought the school-supplied portrait outfits existed only in my mom’s old yearbooks. No?
As for the “Backwards Beauty and Beau” pagent, everyone knows it’s OK for straight people to wear opposite gender clothes for a laugh because it’s silly and fun. When a lesbian does it for serious it’s deviant and undermines the very fabric of society. It’s sort of like a “Pimps and Hoes” party that way.
Let’s get real about what we would be seeing her portrait: her face and shoulders, with some black material around them. the same DAMN THING we’d be seeing if she had worn the “girl clothes.” which makes this shit even more nonsensical.
But I think Jenny K pretty much sums it up; queerness is for shits and giggles…if we start legitimately listening to the concerns of *those* people…well, they might get the idea that they are just as good as everyone else, and what can we teach kids if we don’t teach them who has privilege and who doesn’t? Not to mention it would ruin the homophobic humor for the normal folks…
Yup. You can only gender bend if you don’t actually mean it. In the same way only straight actors can play gay characters on the television, otherwise we might be reminded that gay people are real.
Does this remind anyone of some high school I think it was a while ago that refused to let a girl attend her graduation ceremony because she didn’t want to wear a skirt. She wanted to wear slacks. The same thing the boys were required to wear for graduation…but the school said no.
I don’t get it. If you make it through school, pass your classes, are able to receive a diploma, how are you not allowed to walk across the stage because you’re wearing pants?
Same goes for this. If you attend the school, pay for your photos, pay for your yearbook, how are you not allowed to be in it?
This bullshit is…just bullshit…I can’t come up with a better word at the moment.
I wish there were some way we could let Ceara know we support her. She’s a brave kid.
@llevinso:
You’re totally right. I wrote about that high school case here: http://www.harpyness.com/2009/06/04/excuse-me-is-it-still-1950/
This is similar in that it simply doesn’t pass the bullshit sniff test. The school’s decision is so completely illogical and indefensible that the school board winds up circling the wagons and making fools of themselves trying to defend it by saying “Oh, it wasn’t because of THAT. It was…uh…because of that..uh…OTHER STUFF. But we can’t tell you what the OTHER STUFF is.”
The ACLU will slam-dunk them if it comes to trial. That school district needs to start backpedalling PDQ.
@BeckyS: you are so right, this is going to be the easiest payday ever for some lucky attorney down Mississippi way.
Maybe they can compromise and she can wear pearl studs in her shirt.
Has anyone ever done a study to determine whether it’s true that school boards contain more cranks and crazies than the general population or whether it just seems that way?
“Has anyone ever done a study to determine whether it’s true that school boards contain more cranks and crazies than the general population or whether it just seems that way?”
I think they just happen to be in positions of more power when they’re on the school board…and thus more vocal and obvious.
Wait.. she’s openly gay, right? So that means pretty much everyone in school knows she’s a lesbian, right? She’s been wearing only “guy” clothes at school for 4 years, right? So… it would be weird if she showed up for picture day in a dress, right? RIGHT?
Exactly my thoughts ceejeemcbeegee! The whole argument by the school is SO illogical I can’t wrap my head around it.
I’ve been so enraged on this young woman’s behalf I haven’t been able to comment coherently.
If the students have to provide their own clothes at their own cost, the school board has no right to tell them what to wear. And yeah, it’s not like a surprise to her classmates that she’s gay. Maybe, school board, you should spend more time on your academic standards and less thinking about what the students wear.