Student Denied Picture in School Yearbook

Ceara Sturgis is a 17-year-old senior at Wesson Attendance High School. Her mom says she’s really the perfect child—she makes all A’s, she plays soccer as well as an instrument in the school band, and she’s also in Students Against Destructive Decisions. She sure sounds like a model student to me—one that her school would be proud to showcase and highlight as a true example of school spirit and hard work.

But they won’t do that. In fact, Wesson Attendance is doing just the opposite—not allowing Ceara’s senior photo in the school yearbook—on the grounds that she is wearing a tuxedo in the picture.

It also may have something to do with Ceara being a lesbian.

Ceara has been dressing in traditionally male clothing since she was a Freshman; her outfit did not come as a surprise to anyone. The school claims that it has clear requirements on how students are allowed to dress in school pictures and that since Ceara didn’t conform to these standards, her photo is being excluded from the yearbook.

The thing is, given the choice to wear a tuxedo or a “drape,” as the school so misogynisticly gives to their students, I’m sure I would have worn a tux, too. Though I’m not a lesbian, like Ceara I do feel more comfortable in traditionally male clothing (I refuse to simply deem it “male clothing,” since anyone can really wear it.) I wore a tie and dress pants to my school dances, and while I did wear a dress in my senior pictures it wasn’t a very girly dress—and my hair was in rakish spikes. So I can empathize with Ceara on not wanting to wear whatever frock a “drape” happens to be.

However, unlike Ceara, I had no problem doing this at my school, and feel that she is being unfairly treated in the least. Whether this is a GLBT issue or not—and some argue on both sides—as a free speech issue, Cearra should have the right to wear what she wants in her school pictures. Having attended school with plenty of idiots who wore Hooters jackets, coed naked t-shirts, and plenty of other highly offensive—particularly towards women—clothing, I would think that a simple suit would be welcome, no matter the gender sporting it.

Though the American Civil Liberties Union is fighting the school on Ceara’s behalf, the school has yet to change their mind about including her photo.