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School Says No to Yearbook Photo of Gay Girl in Tux
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
Ceara Sturgis, 17, posed for her high school portrait in a tux and now the school won't include her photo in the yearbook. Credit: WLBT TV / AP
Sturgis' mom, Vanessa Rodriguez, told the Clarion-Ledger that she was told her daughter's picture will not appear in the yearbook because of her choice of clothing. Considering the yearbook is for the kids -- rather than the school -- Rodriguez said she can't understand why her daughter can't wear what she wants.When TV station WLOX tried to find out, a reporter was told by a school board spokeswoman to "dig deeper." When they did, all the could come up with? Sturgis is openly gay.
Calls by ParentDish to district administrators likewise came up empty -- neither Ronald Greer, the principal at Wesson Attendance Center where Sturgis is a senior, nor Rickey Clopton, the superintendent of the Copiah County School District, were available to come to the phone. Instead ParentDish was directed to a school statement also released to the local paper, the Copiah County Courier:
"We have had our legal counsel research the validity of the position of the School District on this matter. We are informed by counsel that this exact issue has been litigated in Federal Court. The decisions of the Federal Courts completely support the policy of the District in this regard.It is the desire of the Copiah County School District to inform, first, the patrons of the District, and second, all other interested parties, that its position is not arbitrary, capricious or unlawful, but is based upon sound educational policy and legal precedent."
The statement does not elaborate on which cases the district believes will back its case, but Rodriguez and Sturgis have gotten backing from the Mississippi ACLU in their fight to get the photo inserted into the yearbook. Their tack has been to challenge the district decision based on the first amendment rights of Ceara Sturgis.
As the landmark federal case Tinker v. Des Moines asserted in 1969, "A prohibition against expression of opinion, without any evidence that the rule is necessary to avoid substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others, is not permissible under the First and Fourteenth Amendments."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
10-25-2009 @ 1:08PM
Inger said...I've seen waaaaay more offensive yearbook photos than this, where some of the girls are appearing in very suggestive poses with skimpy clothes. I'd take a fully cuttoned collar over that any day!
The fact that the student is gay should have no bearing on the actual photo.
Inger
Reply
10-25-2009 @ 3:49PM
homemom3 said...One question: Does the school require girls to wear dresses/sweaters/etc? Is there a dress code in place? If so does it state girls are NOT allowed to wear tuxedos? Now if the answer is what I think there should be no issue with the school publishing this photo. Like the above comment, I have seen much worse and much less in school photos. It sounds to me this school has a big case (the girl does anyway) of openly discriminating against this child.
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10-25-2009 @ 4:00PM
MUSLYIIM said...If there is not standards then we might as well allow the wearing of bathing suits for prom pictures. Thing have their place, but this is clearly wrong. I applaud the school for taking a position or it might get worse. Her sexual preference is HER business, not the public, and she should respect the public. http://www.muslimvitalrecords.com
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10-26-2009 @ 2:34AM
courtney--openly gay said...She is completely covered her breasts and ass aren't hanging out nothing revealing yet because of her sexual orientation it is okay for you to discriminate and make up some fake reason why you don't want the lesbian in the yearbook.this is a direct violation of our constitutional rights...I guess people have nothing better to do with there time then go out of there way to ruin the dreams of a 17 year old girl wanting to simply have a picture of her put in the yearbook so that 20 years from now she can show her children/family of her childhood.This isn't because she is wearing a suit this is because she is an openly gay young women and this is a cut and dry case of sexual discrimination in it's rawest form
10-28-2009 @ 5:30PM
meganmaxine said...muslyiim, you are an ignorant idiot. she is not dressed as some whore, actually, she is covered more than the girls senior pictures with their low cut dresses. there is absolutly NOTHING wrong with her wearing a tuxedo.
1-17-2010 @ 8:26PM
stezzbabe said...Seriously... i;m straight but i mean its clothes, modest clothes. Not revealing, simply a tux. Like for real...are the schools on a power trip? And comparing it to wearing a bathing suit is absolutely asinine and wildly ignorant.
10-25-2009 @ 4:10PM
Elizabeth said...I'm all for kids being who they are and expressing themselves, but I know from my experience that when it came to senior portraits, we were given very specific guidelines as to what we could and couldn't wear, and if you didn't follow the guidelines, your picture wasn't included in the yearbook--it was that simple. For the girls, all we had to wear was a wrap that made it look like we were wearing a gown, but underneath we all had regular clothes, since after all, the picture only showed us from the neck up. If the school isn't going to budge on the issue, and she still wants to have her picture in the yearbook, I would suggest doing that--she can still wear pants underneath and be comfortable. Yeah, it sucks, but if being included in the yearbook is something she really wants, it sounds like she might have to do it the school's way.
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10-25-2009 @ 11:52PM
Inadequate Wife said...Our school had a similar policy. They had black wraps for the girls and white shirts with black tuxedo jackets and bow ties for the boys. They had different sizes and we all changed behind a curtain, had our photo taken, and changed back into our regular shirts. Everyone was expected to look very formal, and very uniform for the official yearbook photos.
They also took one photo of us wearing our caps and gowns, even though graduation was months away.
At the same photo shoot, we had the opportunity to take a regular photo, wearing whatever we wanted. We could then order these photos in combination with our official yearbook photo for gifts and exchanging with our friends.
I cannot understand why kids can't just "go with the flow" and observe tradition where it's appropriate. There is a time and place for individuality and that's fine. If this girl wants to wear a tux to the senior prom, where the dress code is probably "black tie/formal", then let her wear her tux, her date can wear a frilly prom dress, and they can have fun.
10-28-2009 @ 2:51PM
Brionne said...Well, NOW-a-days. We are allowed whatever we want in "senior portraits." I really don't see where this is wrong, and I think the school is just wanting publicity. Would any one really be offended by her picture being in the year book? No. Because everyone that looks at that picture 10 years from now will either be her friend, or had a deep hate for her and either way, they're going to want to see that picture. I think the school is being overly dramatic.
10-28-2009 @ 3:03PM
Elizabeth said...Brionne, it's not so much about it being offensive, because obviously it's not. But yearbooks are a part of school tradition, like caps and gowns and graduation ceremonies. Yes, they are supposed to reflect the persona of the graduating class, but they are also supposed to have a certain dignity to them, hence the guidelines. In response to your "NOW-a-days" comment, honey, I only graduated high school five years ago, and we still had guidelines. Obviously they vary by school district, and this district wants people in their version of formal wear. Like I said, it's not about it being offensive, it's about decorum.
10-26-2009 @ 3:24AM
courtney--openly gay said...and she was in dress code according to the school she was wearing a dress suit but i guess you have to have a penis to wear a suit.Strong productive business women wear pant suits this isn't the 1940's anymore i thought we were past this kind of profiling. these people should feel ashamed of themselves to even think about denying this child a simple picture in the yearbook.After all she did attend school and had her picture taken with the intentions of having it put in the year book.But in your own little way because you have nothing else to do with your time you choose to prey on this girl like some kind of sexual predator. leaving her with the memory of how bad her last year of school was...Knowing these should have been the greatest years of her life... she will remember.
But the memory you have given her isn't one of happiness,Love,Joy, or accomplishment ...You all have single hand
took her whole education and accomplishments and dismissed them without any regard because she is gay.But you had to find a reason other than being gay so you made this petty crap up. Its places like that that cause our children to drop out and quit school... There's Nothing this girl has done to disrupt the school or class this hasn't harmed anyone.These teachers should be focused a little more on education then pushing there own personal views and agendas on our student body.I hope they take that stupid school for everything and every teacher and staff loses there jobs and the school shuts down because obviously teaching the students isn't there main priority!!!!!!!!
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10-26-2009 @ 4:09AM
Olivia said...Are tuxs a male only outfit? Women have been wearing trousers for decades. The girl looks very smart and presentable...
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10-26-2009 @ 8:39AM
Inadequate Wife said...I don't think the issue is whether she's wearing trousers. I think we've established that the kids are only visible from the chest up and are probably supposed to be wearing shirts that meet the photo dress code.
I don't care whether she's straight, gay, transgender, a cross dresser, just wants to be different or looking for a lawsuit. It's unfortunate that our schools have to regulate EVERYTHING because today's generation has no respect for tradition, no respect for their peers nor their elders.
The dress code (written or not) should apply to everyone. Even the slutty girls are expected to ditch their tight, low cut tops for something more "appropriate". As much as I can celebrate diversity and individuality, there is also nothing wrong with conformity.
10-28-2009 @ 5:09PM
Alex said...All of you people that are saying its all about guidelines and dress codes and all of that stuff are full of crap. i bet every single one of you that is against this is truly against her being gay. I took my senior pictures like 3 years ago and we didnt have guidelines or dress codes. i wore jeans and a t-shirt, some girls wore dresses and guys wore jeans and a button up shirt. yes we had to look nice but overall it was OUR decision on what to wear. I am not part of the gay community but i do have some sort of respect for them because they are being who they are and aren't trying to change themselves or try to hide it. How many of you can say that, can honestly say that you are so comfortable with yourselves that no one has persuaded u otherwise? Probably not a lot. They should have just let her have her picture in it. She's a senior so they wont have to deal with it again.
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10-28-2009 @ 8:05PM
Elizabeth said...Alex, personally, I don't give a crap that she's gay. I am straight, but I have many gay friends, so much so that I'm a Fag Hag. :) That part of the story doesn't bother me, I could care less. But obviously the school has some dress guidelines for the yearbook or she wouldn't be wearing a tux. She would just be wearing whatever is comfortable for her. Since she is wearing a tux, it suggests that the other boys in the school are wearing tuxes as well, and the girls are wearing more formal attire that this girl would not be comfortable in. Some schools have formal yearbooks, some don't. Apparently hers does, and if the school wants to be traditional, there's nothing wrong with that. If this is something that she wanted to do, she should have researched it before hand instead of just assuming that it was okay, and she could have saved herself a lot of hassle.
10-28-2009 @ 5:39PM
kell said...ya know what, forget all of you that are talking about tradition and dress codes and everything else. no where in the entire article does it state that was the reason, in fact it doesnt state a reason at all. So the girl wore a friggin tux, if she wore a dress suit that was a little more girly would THAT be ok? yeah it would. In college i was a part of a program that told me that in an interview for ANY job a girl must wear heels and skirts to a certain length and their hair a certain, mind you (not to be offensive) this was being taught by 45 50 year old women who had different standards growing up and different traditions. you respected them now respect the fact that times have changed and standards are different and like at my high school if there is NO specific dress code, they should be able to wear what they want. if ya want the girl not to wear a tux then ya shoulda made a damn dress code in the first place. and all this bull about tradition? where in the hell does tradition fit in, none of you know what the tradition of this particular school is and UNFORTUNATELY neither the principal or anyone else is commenting. figures....
i graduated five years ago too elizabeth and this ARE different and schools DO have different standards. yours probably isnt the same as mine or anyone elses, so if you want your child to follow tradition send em to YOUR school. if you send them anywhere else remember that its not going to be the same.
let the girl be and have her picture in the damn year book...THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE WORRIED ABOUT!
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10-28-2009 @ 6:02PM
Angela said...I think its stupid to make a big deal about it i mean seriously its i think that it really shouldnt matter to the school because it's just going in the yearbook and if they dont discriminate against her on a daily basis at school for being gay/lesbian whichever term you prefer, then they shouldnt discriminate by saying that they wont allow the picture to be in it. And if they were just gonna do this then they shouldnt of even let her wear the jacket and tie in the pic. And also if it doesnt bother anyone else for the pic being in the yearbook then they should allow it.
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10-28-2009 @ 5:47PM
Matt said...before I type this my opinion let me make sure this post.
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10-28-2009 @ 5:48PM
STRAIGHTshootinchick said...I am a sophomore in high school, & when my graduating class gets their pictures taken, I know I don't want any girl wearing boy clothes or vice versa. I am a very conservative person & I do NOT support homosexuality, but my opinion is not just based on the girls sexual orientation, it is based on ethics. She should follow the schools dress code & if that includes actually dressing like your own gender, so be it! If she doesn't like the school rules, she should go to some liberal school to get her picture in the yearbook. I don't agree with alot of the rules at my school, but I still follow them, because like it or not that is the school I go to. Although I do feel comfortable wearing male cloths sometimes, when I am in public I dress approprietly & modestly (yes by approprietly I mean like a girl). To be honest, you can't even tell she is a girl in that picture, so about 20 years from now when her classmates are the at their yearbooks with their children, the kid's won't ask "why is that girl dressed like a boy?", they will ask "why does that boy have a girls name?". Even though the yearbook is for the students, it represents the school & some people might not want their children going to a school that lets the students dress like that, I know I don't want my future children to. That may sound closed-minded, ignorent, rude, etc., but that is the way I feel, so anybody who disagrees with me can go ahead & say what they want about me, but at least I know I have morals.
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10-29-2009 @ 10:32AM
Susan said...You are straight, and definitely narrow minded! First of all, who died and left you fashion police? Your comment "I know I don't want any girl wearing boy clothes or vice versa." proves you are just a spoiled little girl. It's not up to YOU what anyone wears? Do you ever wear Jeans? Those are boy's clothes. And if you are a Christian, according to Leviticus you are going to Hell for it! Your other comment, "If she doesn't like the school rules, she should go to some liberal school to get her picture in the yearbook." You don't get to choose where other students go to school. I raised my niece and nephew along with my own 3 children. I got given custody of them out of some very difficult circumstances on their parts. My niece Despised wearing typical "girls" clothes or dresses. It took me 3 years to get her to wear a dress. Why? Was she gay? NO, she had been repeatedly raped by her mother's good for nothing boyfriends and she felt vulnerable and unsafe in "girls clothes." She felt like she had some protection when she dressed 'dumpy' and unfeminine. It was a shame because she is a beautiful girl who looks a lot like Mariah Carey. But she hid behind long unstyled hair, baggy t-shirts and jeans and rarely would she smile. Sure, there were plenty of kids who thought she was gay. She was too shy to correct them. She had no self esteem. She was terrified of men! But she was not gay either. She cried in anguish at the thought of having to wear the strapless wrap for the senior photos. It meant she would have to go bra-less. (She slept in a bra the first 2 years I had her, it was a safety mechanism for her). Thankfully after several years of therapy and nurturing in a healthy home situation she was able to cut her hair into a cute style, start to wear a bit of make up and some cute tops. She still wears jeans mostly, even in our 110* summers in Florida, but she will also wear an occasional dress. She finally has her first boyfriend, but in my eyes he's not good enough for her. No one is. It was people like you Rock throwing Bible thumpers that helped keep her in her shell of fear and insecurity. You see someone dressed someway and "assume" a situation. You have no idea what someone else's life is about. Remember, when you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of You and Me! Oh, and btw, my daughter has a name that is constantly mistaken for a boys name. And trust me, she is ALL girl! So what will the people say in 20 years looking at her name in the year book?