School Says No to Yearbook Photo of Gay Girl in Tux

Okay first off. Yes her being gay shouldn't matter. But since when does a female wear a tux? It wouldn't be appropriate for a male to wear a dress. It doesn't matter what his reason is. If he wants air for his testicles or whatever the matter. Gay or not. It's just not right. If she wanted to wear a tux to her dance. I think they should send her home for that too.

Reply

I only graduated 6 years ago and my school did not have this stupid crap going on this is ridiculous, she should be allowed to wear what she wants! This is America and for them to tell her what she has to wear in a year book she is purchasing, is crazy!

Reply

I'm a sophmore in high school as well, and at my school there are about 3,000 kids so you pretty much see it all. What I don't understand is why you people care so much. Yea, so what she's gay as long as she's not hitting on you why should it matter? I'm completely straight but i support homosexuals because people have a right to express themselves, and if that's the way she wants to do it so be it. If you don't want your kid to go to a school where you can wear whatever you want then send them to a private school or something, but I have to say that's a pretty stupid reason to send a child to a private school. Yea, I'll admit when I first saw this picture I thought she was a boy, but once again WHO CARES? Let her make her own descions and let her be who she wants to be.

Reply

I think the question may be more in gender identity. I was NOT okay with the fact my High School tried to force me to wear dresses and skirts just because I had a vagina between my legs. That simply isn't who I am. Schools are study and narrow minded when it comes to sexual identity and gender identity, although it's VERY often that gender is forgotten. Too many people think that gender and sex are interchangeable, and they're not, and for that matter too many people think there's only female and male genders, and there aren't.

Reply

As a High-School student and New Yorker, I don't believe that there is any reason for which Ceara's photo should be censored in any sense of the word. I am in complete conformity with Alex; Ceara's photo had apparently not fallen short nor exceeded the boundaries in which the actual photographer had taken the photo. Had she been wearing too little, or decided to mask her face, it is likely that the photographer would question the credibility of the particular photo passing through. It is apparent that the photo was not reviewed until it reached the school board where it was unceremoniously and disrespectfully marked inappropriate, and done so, without valid reason.

As for Inadequate Wife's comment: " 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. "

Firstly, it should be noted that respect is something that must flow two ways. Just as the student is expected to respect authority, authority needs to respect the student. Many seem to forget that attending school is mandated by law.
Secondly, the tradition in itself is simply the process of taking a yearbook photo. As style and fashion progresses, so will the form of the pictures and the content displayed within the photo. It would be correct to say that tradition has been lost when yearbooks themselves have been eradicated. As for peers and elders, that relies upon the individual. You would be fooling no one but yourself, if you took it upon yourself to assume that there were none from previous generations who lacked respect for peers and adults.
Additionally, in no way does this picture disrespect anyone or any thing. Those of you against the gay community, suck up, deal with it, and give them the respect they deserve. A progressing world needs progressive people.

Reply

Well, I have no problem with a boy wearing a skirt if he wants to. He just better have the legs for it. As to the tux, I think a properly cut tux can look good on a woman. That's just me. And RuPaul is a sexy beast. I'm a woman and I can't rock a dress the way he can.

If the dress code called for everyone to wear that crappy drape that the girls at my sister's high school had to wear to make the pictures uniform, all very well and good. If the yearbook picture called for a cap and gown, I can see where there might have been a cause for all the ruckus. But, if like at my high school, you took a number of pictures (3 in street clothes, several in cap and gown, with or without phony diploma and honor cords, and a few in the drapes and funeral suit and tie for the fellas, and the student body voted on which set to put in [my class had cap and gown, the year after mine had street clothes]) and/or everyone else was wearing whatever outfit they wanted to be pictured in, why is everyone making a fuss about the tux? It's not like she was wearing fishnets, stilettos and a halter top. She should be allowed to wear whatever she wants provided it fits dress code and the last time I checked, dress codes didn't specify that boys had to wear male clothes and girls had to wear dresses and sensible shoes. It's not disruptive or inflammatory, so they should simply butt out. So, like I said, if there was a specific, uniform type of clothing they were supposed to wear, fine, she's in the wrong. But if everyone wore whatever they wanted, she should be allowed to as well. And if Keith, Hector and Martin want to come in dressed as Charlie's Angels, that's great too. It's a free country. I just hope they have the legs for it.

Reply

I am an avid supporter of gay rights, and I am against everything that supresses gay rights.

I do, however, believe that this is a violation of decorum and not sexual orientation discrimination. I went to private school my entire life, I am aware of the rules that are set. While this may seem severe, this is most definetly just the school's preference regarding uniform policy. For instance, all throughout my school days, I had to deal with the regulation of not being able to dye my hair an unnatural looking color(such as blue). I am all for self-expression and see nothing wrong with anyone dying their hair blue, and I am sure the principle felt the same way. However, for a school environment, she felt it was unsuitable.

Meanwhile, I am all for altering these rules. I think it would be proactive to abandon the discriminatory rules of self-expression and formulate a system which encourages children to express themselves and BE themselves. I would like to see this girl's yearbook display a photo of her proudly wearing a tux. This is 2009, things have to change.

Reply

I think that she is just a hot mess and that it is totally uncalled for for a female to wear a man-style tuxedo in her senior pictures. Like someone wrote, "why can't she just follow traditional?". There are plenty of other times to express individuality- not in the senior pictures. It is offensive, simply because being openly gay has hit an all time high that is no excuse to flaunt it to the rest of the world. If she wants to be gay-that fine, her business but there is not need for a woman to dress as a man. It would be equally as offensive if a gay male wanted to dress in a frilly woman's dress for his senior portait. Ridiculous.

Reply

I personally think she looks very sophistocated and portrays a certain respect for herself and SCHOOL. It could have been a hell-of-a-lot worse!!! That school, along with a vast majority of ETHICALLY incorrect individuals, uses "rules" or "policies" to mask their biased and discriminative acts and opinions. They really should feel like s**t for taking a precious memory like this away from this child. Instead the school as a whole should be celebrating the fact that she made to to the point of taking her yearbook picture!!! WAKE UP PEOPLE, we all (in general) have much bigger problems than a girl in a tux !!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply

Oh yeah, LUVVVVVVV the HAIR !!! And by the way, I'm as straight as a 2x4 !!!

Reply

This reminds me of the young Muslim girl in a local school who was harassed to remove he hijab. It was only a scarf to cover her hair, it in no way covered her face or impeded her ability to effectively perform her school responsibilities. In Florida despite the heat she would wear a modest head cover, and a simple long sleeve shirt under whatever secular shirt she wished and then jeans and sneakers just like any average child. She was suspended unless she removed her head cover. But it was forbidden in her religion to do this. Granted, not all Muslim women cover their head, and on the other hand some wear burqas to cover themselves completely. The argument was made to the school board that since Jewish boys were allowed to wear yarmulkes (less than 8" in diameter) and Christians are allowed to wear a crucifix at any time, this girl should be allowed to her religious item. The irony is that the girls sitting next to her wearing low cut and push-up bras, tight jeans and short skirts,(or the pregnant ones in maternity shirts) were allowed to sit in the classrooms unscathed even thought they look like they belong on a street corner! Our priorities are pretty screwed up!

Reply

It's up to the school, not the students, what is acceptable and what isn't...

And it's certainly not up to the general public, including you...

Reply

Well Hello, Robin Hood Here! Both of my children were held in the office for stupid stuff, My oldest daughter first got punished with detention over a Beanie Cap by a Councilor Named Debbie Rosenbaum, then My second child got held all day in the school office for a Scottish pair of Pajamas. Well I researched these Springfield public schools Teachers and Symbols and Guess what I found! Freeky Zombie Nazis raised from the dead!! No freaking wonder they are banning out art and flags and "Commonly Considered" Gang Material this =Equals "Degenerate Art" why would they ban out any cloth? Well because it ties us to the wars that we have been fighting threw out history!! "No child Left Behind"!!They are purposely dumbing down our children and putting their beliefs upon our kids!! Instead of opening the school books and teaching these kids about how life is a game of chess. They are hindering our children from relating to one another, by controlling their outer appearance. Most teenagers these days watch slasher films, rude brain washing magazines, and go shopping at the mall, if our Malls are selling these products to children then later they get punished for the product they buy. Who is at fault the people selling it to the minor or the minor that is wearing it? I opened up many web pages to explain what is behind their hypocritical "Rules". Feel free to come by myspace.com/bandanna1 myspace.com/frogbrothersunited

Reply

As always, the religious rich believes it is free to impose its sick, twisted beliefs on everyone else, even when no harm to anyone is being done.

Most of the problems of the world are, and always have been, cause by religion. Mankind will never truly be free until the black yoke of religion is lifted by the clear light of truth and rational thinking.

Reply