Girl Gets Photo Removed from Yearbook for Wearing a Tux

[From feministing.com]

Ceara Sturgis is a senior at a Mississippi high school described as being exemplary: “a straight-A student, goal on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Drunk Driving”. Despite all of this, Ceara’s school is not allowing her senior photo to be included in the yearbook.

Why? Because Ceara is also a lesbian and since, as her mother says, she “feels more comfortable in boy’s clothes”, decided to wear a tux for the photo.

Her mother, Veronica Rodriguez, is fighting the school’s decision, and the local ACLU has also written to them asking that they include Ceara’s photo in the yearbook. No comment from the school so far.

Rodriguez says, “She’s not a troublemaker. She is gay. She wants to wear the tuxedo because that’s who she is. She’s not ashamed of that.”

According to the article, Ceara has very few problems with other students because of her sexuality and gender expression.

So what is this school so afraid of?

One thing we can say is that at least now many people get to see Ceara’s photo. I really admire her strength and courage and I hope that other LGBT highschoolers like her can take the same things away from her story that Ceara has: “It has made her feel that she is not alone, that she is important and somebody”.

Good luck, Ceara!

Tags: High school, American Civil Liberties Union, Lesbian, LGBT <BR/> American Civil Liberties Union, High school, Lesbian, LGBT