Transgender Teen Denied Entry to Prom for Wearing Dress

[Jessica_Rose]

Transgender Teen Denied Entry to Prom for Wearing Dress

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/transgender-teen-denied-entry-to-prom-for-wearing-dress/ar-BB1loLDN?ocid=windirect&cvid=5de1c536addf4eb69d73a886c6ae2391&ei=50

Story by Shannon Power (10 April 2024)

Police were called to a school in Alabama after a transgender student was allegedly banned from entering their prom because she refused to change out of the dress she had worn for the event.

The student at Section High School in Jackson County, Alabama, attended the prom on April 6 with a group of friends.

But she was allegedly stopped from going inside unless she changed out of her dress and into a pair of pants, according to local ABC news station WAAY 31.

A mom of a male student at the school, Lesa Drake, got a call from the group to let them know what happened and she headed down there to confront the principal, Blake Wigley, about the decision. The school then called the police.

"I kept asking why. Why can't she come? Because she's wearing a dress. There were other transgender students in there not wearing their birth gender attire. What is wrong with this issue? And he kept saying, 'I told her yesterday,'" Drake told WAAY 31.

"I looked at the student handbook, and there's absolutely nothing in it, and there's nothing in the prom section. And this is all caught on tape by the officer that was there," she said.

[ChrissyRyan]

Transgender Teen Denied Entry to Prom for Wearing Dress

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/transgender-teen-denied-entry-to-prom-for-wearing-dress/ar-BB1loLDN?ocid=windirect&cvid=5de1c536addf4eb69d73a886c6ae2391&ei=50

Story by Shannon Power (10 April 2024)

Police were called to a school in Alabama after a transgender student was allegedly banned from entering their prom because she refused to change out of the dress she had worn for the event.

The student at Section High School in Jackson County, Alabama, attended the prom on April 6 with a group of friends.

But she was allegedly stopped from going inside unless she changed out of her dress and into a pair of pants, according to local ABC news station WAAY 31.

A mom of a male student at the school, Lesa Drake, got a call from the group to let them know what happened and she headed down there to confront the principal, Blake Wigley, about the decision. The school then called the police.

"I kept asking why. Why can't she come? Because she's wearing a dress. There were other transgender students in there not wearing their birth gender attire. What is wrong with this issue? And he kept saying, 'I told her yesterday,'" Drake told WAAY 31.

"I looked at the student handbook, and there's absolutely nothing in it, and there's nothing in the prom section. And this is all caught on tape by the officer that was there," she said.

They should have let her wear her dress. 

Chrissy

[LoriDee]

Why does it matter what anyone wears? As long as it doesn't violate a dress code. Some schools enforce wearing uniforms, but Prom? A dress is a dress. Some people are so bored with their lives that they have to meddle in other people's business.

[ChrissyRyan]

Why does it matter what anyone wears? As long as it doesn't violate a dress code. Some schools enforce wearing uniforms, but Prom? A dress is a dress. Some people are so bored with their lives that they have to meddle in other people's business.

As a woman I certainly understand why a woman or girl would want to wear dress.
Probably most males would understand why a woman would want to wear a dress, especially to a prom.

What most people do not understand is how someone born with the junk down there could ever be female, thus they see a boy wanting to wear a dress.  A boy wearing a dress is unusual in our society.  But if you are transgender, the biological sex is not the same as gender for us. 

[LoriDee]

If it was me, I would go home and come back wearing a kilt. 

[ChrissyRyan]

If it was me, I would go home and come back wearing a kilt. 

That might work, although a skirt may not be formal enough. 

[Jessica_K]

A slight aside, during a very hot spell here in the UK 2017 (30c+) a group of boys at a school in Devon were told that they could not wear shorts, after checking school code, they all came in uniform skirts.

[Sarah B]

Hi Everyone

 Sue the school on first amendment grounds, although not ironclad, there must be grounds using similar laws like discrimination or title IX

"Courts have ruled that the choice to bring a same-gender date to prom is a political statement protected under the First Amendment. In those cases, the school's fear of disruption was not sufficient to justify stopping the student from coming with their date, and the school was required to provide security to keep the couple safe in the event of harassment. This general rule applies not only to prom, but also to homecoming and other school events. Schools may not imply that students can bring same-sex dates but are not allowed to participate in the same ways as their cisgender or heterosexual classmates." [1]

and

"This paper will proceed as follows: Part I will present a basic foundation on being transgendered and will discuss the terminology that will be crucial to understanding this paper. Part II will demonstrate why the transgender population is entitled to the protections of the Constitution. Part III will expand on the First Amendment by further explaining its history and application in the public school setting. Part IV will analyze prior court rulings relative to transgendered students in public schools and their First Amendment right to dress/self-express. Lastly, Part V will address situations in which the ACLU has intervened and will provide guidance to school administrators on how to foster an environment sensitive to the needs of transgendered students. " [2]

Does the school receive federal funding then the following applies;

"Title IX is the most commonly used name for the landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This is Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235 (June 23, 1972), codified at 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1688." [3]

Sic em.

Love and Hugs
Sarah B
Official Greeter

[1]   How the First Amendment and Free Speech Law Protect LGBTQ+ Youth

[2]   Changing Closets: Transgendered Youths' Right to Dress in Public Schools and the First Amendment

[3]   Title IX