Lesbian Student Fights for Yearbook Tuxedo Photo

[Miles]

JACKSON, Miss. — Everyone at Wesson Attendance Center knows 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis is gay because she's never tried to hide it.

But when Sturgis — an honor student, trumpet player and goalie on the school's soccer team — wanted her senior photograph in a tuxedo used in the 2009-10 yearbook, school officials balked. Traditionally, female students dress in drapes and males wear tuxedos.

Now, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has gotten involved, issuing a demand letter to Principal Ronald Greer to publish the picture of Sturgis in the tuxedo. The ACLU says it's giving the school until Oct. 23 to respond before pursuing court action, said Kristy L. Bennett, the ACLU's legal director.

Sturgis said she should get to decide how she looks in the senior photo.

"I feel like I'm not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don't even care about me. All I want is to be able to be me, and to be included in the yearbook," Sturgis said in a statement.

source

So, who should prevail?

[Jrosemary]

I'm rooting for Ceara Sturgis! And congratulations to her for having the guts to be out of the closet in high school. That's not easy.

There's one high school near me that's very good with the GLBT community--one of the boys managed to cross-dress regularly without any hassles. He was straight, but that's still impressive. I don't know he dressed for his senior picture, but I'm sure he went femn if he felt like it.

Anyway, it's her picture. A tux is quite classy and quite appropriate for a senior photo. I don't see any reason to object.

[Miles]

I'm rooting for Ceara Sturgis! And congratulations to her for having the guts to be out of the closet in high school. That's not easy.

There's one high school near me that's very good with the GLBT community--one of the boys managed to cross-dress regularly without any hassles. He was straight, but that's still impressive. I don't know he dressed for his senior picture, but I'm sure he went femn if he felt like it.

Anyway, it's her picture. A tux is quite classy and quite appropriate for a senior photo. I don't see any reason to object.

Agree completely.

[Defender of Truth]

It would be a great injustice to not allow her to wear the tuxedo, that is, if you believe homosexuality is morally okay. That is the discussion. Once you have the principle, the application follows, but I disagree with the application, because I disagree with the principle.

[Jrosemary]

It would be a great injustice to not allow her to wear the tuxedo, that is, if you believe homosexuality is morally okay. That is the discussion. Once you have the principle, the application follows, but I disagree with the application, because I disagree with the principle.

While I'm still thrilled for Sturgis, and impressed by her, for being out of the closet in high school, I don't think homosexuality is the issue here. A straight girl might ask to wear a tuxedo too--and why shouldn't she be allowed to? Again, there's nothing unsuitable or inappropriate about a tux for a senior picture. The girls aren't asking to wear bikinis.

[JoeyKnothead]

It would be a great injustice to not allow her to wear the tuxedo, that is, if you believe homosexuality is morally okay. That is the discussion. Once you have the principle, the application follows, but I disagree with the application, because I disagree with the principle.

While I'm still thrilled for Sturgis, and impressed by her, for being out of the closet in high school, I don't think homosexuality is the issue here. A straight girl might ask to wear a tuxedo too--and why shouldn't she be allowed to? Again, there's nothing unsuitable or inappropriate about a tux for a senior picture. The girls aren't asking to wear bikinis.

When one can show a god has an opinion on the sexual mores of humans I may consider homosexuality in terms of morality. As it stands I consider it highly immoral to ask someone to suppress who they are.
I do think homosexuality is the issue here, however the "issue" seems to be on the Principal's part. This is a human being first, as such she is deserving all rights and privileges until such time she acts in a manner contrary to others' rights and privileges.
The Principal should be relieved of duties post haste on the grounds of not understanding what it means to be human, or homosexual.

[Defender of Truth]

While I'm still thrilled for Sturgis, and impressed by her, for being out of the closet in high school, I don't think homosexuality is the issue here.

I beg differ. If you think homosexuality is wrong, you'd say that she shouldn't get to where the tux. If you think there's no problem with homosexuality, then of course you're going to say that the school should not be able to prohibit her.

A straight girl might ask to wear a tuxedo too--and why shouldn't she be allowed to?

My answer to that is found within Miles's post.

Everyone at Wesson Attendance Center knows 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis is gay because she's never tried to hide it.

I think you're mistaken if you believe the issue is "should a girl be able to break the school's dress code in the Senior picture?" I think the issue is more of "should a lesbian girl be allowed to display her lesbianism in the Senior photo?"

If the issue wasn't homosexuality, then why would Miles post that aspect to it? Do you know of any good reasons why he might?

Notice what Miss Sturgis says about the ordeal

I feel like I'm not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don't even care about me."

If the issue wasn't homosexuality, then she may say "I feel like they don't care about me", but she doesn't say that. Even she recognizes that it's the issue is homosexual: "I feel that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student.

Go ahead. Research it, you might begin to see what I mean.

Oh, and Miles, you might want to read number 8 in the forum rules. It talks a little about plagiarizing.

And one last thing, jrosemary, I tried to ignore it but I couldn't help but ask exactly what you meant by

A straight girl might ask to wear a tuxedo too

The use of the word "too" signifies something being added. But it also has a connotation of "in addition to something else". Therefore, by studying your sentence we could conclude that you believe Miss Sturgis is not straight.

[Defender of Truth]

I extend most humble apologies to Miles. I did not see where he gave the source of his post.

[Jrosemary]

If the issue wasn't homosexuality, then she may say "I feel like they don't care about me", but she doesn't say that. Even she recognizes that it's the issue is homosexual: "I feel that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student.

I'm not denying that the school is linking this issue to Ms. Sturgis's homosexuality. And I understand that Ms. Sturgis wants to wear the tux as an expression of her lesbianism--and more power to her, I say. (Go sister!)

I just wonder if the school has to worry about her motives for wanting to wear a tux. She wants to wear a tux for her school photo, then let her wear a tux. If she was a straight girl who just liked the way she looked in a tux, I'd say the same thing: if she wants to wear a tux, let her wear it.

To me the issue boils down to this: a girl wants to wear something respectable and classy for her school photo. Why should there be a problem here, whatever her motive?

[Defender of Truth]

I just wonder if the school has to worry about her motives for wanting to wear a tux. She wants to wear a tux for her school photo, then let her wear a tux. If she was a straight girl who just liked the way she looked in a tux, I'd say the same thing: if she wants to wear a tux, let her wear it.

Again, you use the phrase "If she was a straight girl". It implies that she's not.

To me the issue boils down to this: a girl wants to wear something respectable and classy for her school photo. Why should there be a problem here, whatever her motive?

If that was what the issue boils down to, then why wouldn't you allow guys to wear hoodies, and their knees to where pants? For that matter, why wouldn't you allow them to wear anything that they thought was respectable and classy?