Mississippi judge supports dress code, transgender student misses graduation.
Transgender Senior Skips Graduation After District Refuses to Allow Deviations from Gender-Based Dress Code
A Fight for Equality
A transgender senior in Mississippi was forced to skip their high school graduation ceremony when the district refused to allow any deviations from the gender-based dress code. The student, referred to in court documents as LB, was required to dress in “socks, dress shoes, pants, a button-down shirt, and tie,” which is Harris County School District’s dress code for male graduates.
In an attempt to earn more leeway in choosing a graduation outfit, LB sued Harris Central High School Principal Kelly Fuller, the Harrison County School Board, Harrison County School District, and Superintendent Mitchell King. However, U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel upheld the dress code in a ruling Friday, stating that “the loss of an opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony is not an unconstitutional infringement on a student’s right to freely exercise his religious beliefs.”
A Disappointing Ruling
The student was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, who wrote on Twitter that the “decision to uphold the school district’s explicit discrimination” was “deeply disappointing and concerning.” The ACLU also stated that “all Mississippi students should have the right and autonomy to be who they are—not who judges and school officials think they should be.”
A Call for Equality
This ruling highlights the ongoing fight for equality for transgender individuals. It is important that we continue to push for policies and practices that allow individuals to express their gender identity freely and without discrimination. Let us work towards a future where all individuals are accepted and celebrated for who they are.
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