(Fla.) School Officials Ban Photo Of Female Student Wearing Tuxedo

[truthpusher]

http://www.wftv.com/education/4232606/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=irresistible

School Officials Ban Photo Of Female Student Wearing Tuxedo

POSTED: 11:23 am EST February 25, 2005
UPDATED: 5:21 pm EST February 25, 2005

FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. -- The picture of a lesbian student dressed in a tuxedo will not be permitted in her school's yearbook, the Clay County school officials decided.

Principal Sam Ward of Fleming Island High School made the initial decision to pull Kelli Davis's picture from the yearbook, saying he did so because Davis, who is openly gay, was dressed in boy's clothes.

The county school board and its superintendent backed the decision, which was debated at a Thursday night School Board meeting attended by about 200 people.

(snip)

"This is not to be treated as a gay right's issue," her mother said. "Rather it's a human rights issue."

complete story:
http://www.wftv.com/education/4232606/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=irresistible

[Jamastiene]

1. Not just putting it there, but keeping it there

The DUH in Florida. Typical. Why am I not surprised?

[IndianaGreen]

2. I saw that on ABC News last night, what a crock!

The homophobic school administrators kept saying that this had nothing to do with sexual orientation but with the requirement that boys must wear tuxedos and girls have to be draped.

Girls have to look enticing to the boys so that they can become mommies and produce many, many children, as GAWD intended.

:puke:

[LiberalFighter]

38. Girls HAVE to wear dresses??

Can't wear jeans or slacks?

[somnior]

3. Do they also...

Do they also refuse photos of young men with ponytails, or young women with short hair (no lower than the ears) - or do they only do so if the student in question is also gay?

[Cha]

4. Tsk, tsk, Kelly!

What will the neighbors say!?

Nice, her Mum is sticking up for her.

[bluedog]

5. damn

the people in my state are so damn freaking stupis..we have more to worry about than a damn picture in a year book......do something for the school system.smaller class size..it was passed..why the stall?....clossing school clinics?...yea these problems.they waste their time on a stupid ass picture.

[struggle4progress]

58. Eh! I'd say she's lucky! Joan of Arc was burned for cross-dressing!

<edit:> Poor kid.

I hope a whole new generation is getting ready to rise up against the puppet masters ...

[Insider]

6. WTF?

Some applauded Ward's decision, including Karen Gordon, who said, "When uniformity is compromised, then authority no longer holds."

karen gordon should have been as speechless as the rest of us.

[Generic Other]

36. When uniformity is compromised we call it individuality

Is it possible that pod people have landed in Florida?

[Betty]

52. That sounds like a quote

right out of the third reich.. Goebbels would be proud. We must be about where Germany was in the early thirties, as far as sliding down into full-blown fascism is concerned.

[warrens]

64. Jesus effing christ

Does she listen to herself? Be a freaking robot, fall in line, do what you're told. How do animals like that look at themselves in the mirror?

[Taxloss]

7. And girls wearing tuxes are so sexy.

Oh, the humanity.

[Sequoia]

9. Do you remember when Tatum O'Neil was a wee little child

and won the Oscar in 1974 for her role in Paper Moon and she wore a tiny tux? Everyone thought she was the cutest thing, the CUTEST and best dressed.

[Taxloss]

13. I don't remember that at all, I'm afraid.

But I've always hated the Oscars, and shun them like the plague.

[tblue37]

21. I never watch the Oscars, either, but I will this year.

Who can pass up a chance to watch Chris Rock on a roll?

[d_b]

17. My thoughts exactly.

[Anakin Skywalker]

8. It's Florif***ingduh, Where They Love Jebba.

How petty! It's just a tuxedo, Jay Zeus! Don't pop your pantyhose over that, school admins. How about spending your time and the people's tax dollars figuring out how to improve the kids' education instead? What is it with these antiquated morons anyway?

[SW FL Dem]

22. Not all FL residents love Jebbie

Some of us are working hard to get a Dem elected in 2006.

[Anakin Skywalker]

35. I Know. And I Look Forward

to the day when FL turns blue! :)

[Megahurtz]

10. Wow, thats rude.

Who cares if she wears a tuxedo? Now everyone is going to be told what to wear?

[Semi_subversive]

11. Who's paying for the yearbooks?

The students, not the ****ing administrators!! So, get the **** away from it!

[BadGimp]

12. This is so sad and vulgar at the same time

The girl is a human being. What about here diginity? What about her rights?

ReligioFundies make me wanna vomit.

[rzemanfl]

14. Judy Garland just rolled over in her grave. n/t

[truthpusher]

23. not to mention Katherine Hepburn!

not a tux - but a pants pioneer all the way.

[IndianaGreen]

27. Or Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead

What we have here is a bunch of fundies trying to enforce sexual stereotypes.

[truthpusher]

40. Or...Ellen....oh maybe that one doesn't count? n/t

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

15. And certainly

30 years from now, those attending this school who still possess said yearbooks will look at them and say, "I'm sure glad they stopped that girl from wearing a tuxedo in her senior picture........."

[KamaAina]

16. I suppose they would have preferred it if she had worn a thong

oh cripes, I just got the thread locked :evilgrin:

What a bunch of morans. Too bad Bush**co has pretty much monopolized the Top Ten these days.

[rodeodance]

20. school kids have few 'rights'--they can seach lockers, frish them down,

do spot drug tests in many states. etc etc.
and tasers are now in use.

[noamnety]

18. I'm confused

I don't understand the dress code rules - they had a no tuxedo rule for girls for senior pictures? Somehow I doubt that.

And I have no clue at all what her sexual orientation has to do with the with a dress code violation OR why it's even mentioned in the article - unless the principal made a statement linking being gay with wearing tuxedos?

I know there are gay penguins, but dressing like one doesn't make you gay.

[Pinboy]

28. You should be confused . . .

According to the story, there were no rules:

"Officials at the northeastern Florida school have said the picture was pulled from the yearbook because Davis did not follow the rules on dress. School board attorney Bruce Bickner said there is no written dress code for senior pictures, but principals have the authority to set standards."

The principal's action is blatantly arbitrary and capricious.

[davidinalameda]

19. and how many other pictures do they have of girls in pants

in the yearbook

pants are men's clothes, right?

dumbasses

[HockeyMom]

34. Annie Hall

Remember that look? Back in the 70s it was in fashion to wear men's hats and TIES.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. I have female friends who wear tuxes and aren't lesbians.

Is it ok for them?

When I was in high school, we had an annual "Turkey Bowl", in which cheerleaders and pompom girls donned football gear, and the football team wore cute little skirts and did somersaults for one game.

Does this make them gay?

Why should anyone care?

[Greyskye]

25. Yeah, women in tuxedo's are obscene all right!

[Rose Siding]

42. It's a good thing Ashcroft isn't around to witness the decline

[Horse with no Name]

26. In Waxahachie, TX the ENTIRE band wears tuxedos

girls and boys and their pictures are in the yearbook.
What's the difference?
:shrug:

[soleft]

29. This is what happens when the potus says it's okay to discriminate

This crap is only going to escalate

[Toucano]

30. All I can say is

What a fucked up thing to worry about.

Young men and women not much older than Kelli are dying in a foreign land in a war sold with lies.

Yet 200 people leave the comfort of their homes to protest a young woman wearing a tuxedo.

These are dark days indeed.

[despairing optimist]

31. Dean of discipline moves to enforce high school dress code

Who took my tuxedo?

[NashVegas]

32. Fear of a Marlene Dietrich Planet

wow.

[LevelB]

33. And again...

What is the principal's position on gay prostitutes in the White House? Is it bad in the school and good in the White House? Inquiring minds want to know.

They must be forced to deal with this hypocrisy.

B.

[mutus_frutex]

37. This is a total disgrace..

I really feel for her. It truly saddens me when things like this happens. I mean, this is a tiny, stupid issue and the fact that they are discriminating her tell a lot about the state of society.

[flordehinojos]

39. is the state via the school and the school board wanting to impose its

fake morality on people? Since Sam Ward thinks HE is such an example of moral virtuosity ... how many sins are really hidden in his skeleton closet?...at least one to begin with---his arrogant and misguided power over kelli davis' choice of dress, sexual preference and choice of partner.

[noamnety]

41. Open letter to Principal Sam Ward

Dear Mr. Ward,

I am writing in support of your decision to ban Kelli Davis’s senior photo from the Fleming Island High School yearbook. It is outrageous and immoral that Kelli was photographed wearing a tuxedo. Unless suits are tailored for women, they tend to deemphasize their breasts, which is completely inappropriate for a high school yearbook. Given the hormone levels of the typical male high school student, it’s only common courtesy to photograph the girls looking feminine – wearing a drape that implies no clothes underneath.

I would like to see the tuxedos formally banned for all gays (male and female), because of the message they send. I don’t personally have any gay friends, but I know people who do, and from what I’ve heard, several of them wear tuxedos. I’ve also seen women at the Oscars wearing tuxedos, and I am fairly sure everyone in Hollywood is gay, because – as I am sure you are aware - they are liberal and elite. Is it a coincidence that they wear so many tuxedos? I don’t think so. Also, I’ve seen a recent article about gay penguins, and tuxedos look suspiciously like penguins.

I understand you are taking some heat for this decision, in part because you didn’t have any dress code spelled out ahead of time. I’d like to suggest that in the future, you cover yourself by spelling out the dress rules on paper, so there is no confusion. This would be for everyday school, not just yearbook photos. And since the decision was apparently based in part on the student’s sexual orientation, you could be extra careful and include that in the dress code as well. So what I am picturing is a generic dress code, with four separate appendices that have the specifics for straight boys, gay boys, straight girls, and gay girls (sometimes known as lesbians). Straight girls could wear pants, but the gay ones should have to wear skirts so they learn to act like ladies. And you could specify that they have to wear pumps or sandals with heels, otherwise you will get trouble makers with combat boots. For the boys we could have a section that says the gay ones have to wear at least one blue item of clothing each day. We should have some color samples of acceptable shades, so they don’t try to push the limits by wearing shirts that border on lavender. I am going to work on this over the weekend, and will send you some swatches of the blue shades I think will work. I hope that is okay.

Here’s to a yearbook of stuffed shirts, not starched ones!

[bloom]

50. that's great.

If I went to that school - I would want a campaign for the women to ALL wear tuxes to the prom, etc. - maybe just to wear them every day - just to bother people. :)

[ruggerson]

43. Lesbian's Picture In Tux Cut From Yearbook (Ugly Homophobes Strike Again)

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/breaking_news/10993954.htm?1c

Rightwing political correctness at its finest.

----------------------------------------------------------

Associated Press


GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. - County school officials are backing a principal's decision to bar a picture of a lesbian student dressed in a tuxedo from the high school yearbook.

Sam Ward, principal of Fleming Island High School, said he pulled the senior class picture because Kelli Davis was wearing boy's clothes. His decision was debated Thursday at a Clay County school board meeting that drew 200 people, but the board took no action, and Superintendent David Owens said the decision will stand.

Most of the 24 people who spoke at the meeting supported Kelli Davis.

"This is not to be treated as a gay rights issue," said her mother, Cindi Davis. "Rather it's a human rights issue."

Others applauded Ward's decision, including Karen Gordon, who said, "When uniformity is compromised, then authority no longer holds."

Officials at the northeastern Florida school have said the picture was pulled from the yearbook because Davis did not follow the rules on dress. School board attorney Bruce Bickner said there is no written dress code for senior pictures, but principals have the authority to set standards.

The student editor of the yearbook, Keri Sewell, was fired after refusing her adviser's order to take the picture out.

[Damien]

44. my credit to the editor too

for her willingness to lose her job over it.

and of course to the young lady brave enough to be out in high school. No one was in mine -- they all came out in college when it was safer.

This is a sad hunt for a young person brave enough to show who they are to the world

[superconnected]

60. I had a friend brave enough to out himself in h.s.

A football player asked him if he was gay, he said yes. The football player broke his nose. it was on the school bus going home.

The principal wouldn't punnish the football player and made several gay slurs and pretty much said the gay kid deserved it.

The gay kids' father beat him up and kicked him out.

He was still homeless, and now on the streets of seattle, 2 months later when we graduated. So he didn't graduate with us.

the last day of school a group of football players wore dresses to school, heels, stowes, makeup etc., and loudly mocked gays all day. they talked with lisps, called each other fags and came on to each other. The last hour they ran through the the school in their dresses and heals, disturbing class for everyone.

The principal never did anything about it, even though I and a bunch of other kids went to him and complained together(as we had many times over the gay bigotry). He just made round about insults to the gays.

It was snohomish high school, snohomish, WA, 1984.

[Tesha]

67. The answer to this situation is simple: Call the cops

> A football player asked him if he was gay, he said yes. The football
> player broke his nose. it was on the school bus going home.

The answer to that situation is simple: the police should have been
called and the football player should have been arrested, prosecuted,
and convicted of assault (or even a hate crime, if WA has such a law).

This would avoid all problems with principals sans principles.

Tesha

[Rush1184]

45. nominated

[1monster]

46. This is a 4.0 student who never causes any trouble. She does not cross-

dress. The reason she chose the tux was modesty. She said that the students only had two choices: the tux and the drape. Since there were no rules (and the principal had not made any ruling at that time), the girl chose the tux because she felt uncomfortable with the drape, having watched other in front of her adjusting the drape.

The principal is, from accounts I have read, a dreadful principal. He has lost many teachers to other schools and had teachers who had originally wanted to teach at this new high school choose not to after learning that he would be the principal. Apparently he has fostered an atmosphere where jocks rule (bully) their school mates and redress is unknow.

However, the principal is a very good friend of the district's superintendent. And the superintendent is, judging from the article I read in FOLIO, a liberal Jacksonville tabloid paper) homophobic and a wuss to boot.

The girl's parents have purchased a $345 full page ad in the yearbook in order to have her photo in for her graduating year. The principal originally tried to block that, too, but a compromise was reached when the family brought in a lawyer.

[Bryn]

47. Strange...

I still have a Glamour Shot of me in Tux that was taken several years ago and I am heterosexual. I don't see anything wrong with her wearing a Tux just the way she wanted. Silly! She looks great in her pix!

[msongs]

48. does the girls' basketball team wear shorts like the boys??????

and tank tops shirts? or sweat "pants" like the boys? Lets ban those pics too.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[Rose Siding]

49. more discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1266448

[fortyfeetunder]

51. Where are the students protesting this?

Intimidated or going the with the program?

[Nashyra]

53. Where can I send a letter to her parents

As a member of a local school board I would like to tell her parents that i applaud their support for her and that I think that their school board wussed out on them terribly.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lindacooks]

54. WTF?? Princess Diana wore a tuxedo!!

Can't find a picture of it online, but what the hell is wrong with a girl dressing in boy's clothes? How backward is this school board?

[canetoad]

55. Email the school

Sam Ward, Principal [e-mail]
Laura Johnson, Vice Principal [e-mail]
Dan Finley, Assistant Principal [e-mail]
Thomas Pittman, Assistant Principal [e-mail]

[Zgrrl]

59. Sent the bastard a letter

I emailed Mr Sam Ward and gave him a piece of my mind. Sexist, homophobic swine.

[Jersey Ginny]

62. I emailed the principal-I hope everyone does.

Thanks for the links. This kind of crap must be opposed LOUDLY. The religious nazi's need to know they are being watched.

[paineinthearse]

56. Imbiciles!

School officials have maintained that sexual preference is not the issue, it is gender. They said since Davis did not follow the rules on dress, she will not be in the yearbook.

Bruce Bickner, an attorney representing the School Board, said there is no written dress code for senior pictures, but also said the district gives principals the authority to set standards.

:wtf:

Well, which is it??????

These people can't have it both ways.

[Erika]

61. Condi Rice Shows up in Germany with a Nazi uniform

but our kids dress must be PC according to GOP rules. OK.

[Az_lefty]

63. If she wasn't "openly" gay they wouldn't have a problem with this.

They would probably think it was cool for a girl to wear a tux. Fu*king rednecks.

[One_Life_To_Give]

65. But then they might have to let some guy

wear a dress in the pictures as well. I think it was last year that a HS kid was excluded from his Prom photo for wearing a Kilt to the prom.

They really are open minded as long as you walk, talk, act dress and look like them.:crazy:

[malestripper4u]

66. What a load of crap!

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I love it when "educators" haven't bothered to read the bill of rights!

GRRR!

[YDogg]

68. So I wonder whether the school ...

... has one of those power puff football games, where girls dress in football uniforms and guys dress as female cheerleaders? If so, will photos from that game be in the yearbook?

What a crock.