Cousins! A Mississippi transgender girl has been denied access to her high school graduation after administrators from the institution instructed her to follow the dress code of a boy in order to participate within the ceremony!
According to the New York Post, Harrison Central High School says that the 17 year old girl identified as L.B was expected to adhere to the school’s dress code policy set in place for graduation. Officials sought for the teen to wear, “pants, socks, and shoes, like a boy.”
Reports read that L.B had plans to follow the girls dress code instead and had picked out a white dress for her big day. It has been indicated that throughout her years as a student at Harrison Central L.B had wore a dress to class, extracurricular activities including prom last year. Superintendent Mitchell King is noted to have communicated to L.B’s mother that the student would not be able to participate in this year’s graduation ceremony unless she showed up in “pants, socks, and shoes, like a boy,”.
Within a lawsuit filed on behalf of L.B alongside her parents reads notes that the senior shouldn’t face discrimininatory treatment during graduation. The American Civil Liberties Union as well as the family faced a judge to issue the suit against the district. However US District Judge Taylor McNeel upheld the school’s decision Friday.
District attorney Wynn Clark argued that attending the graduation ceremony held on Saturday wasn’t required and that attending is a choice therefore it’s not a constitutionally protected right for anyone. Wynn filed court documents Friday May 19th that, “ taking part in a graduation ceremony is voluntary, and not a constitutionally protected right for any student.”
L.B’s family attorney Linda Morris said in response “Our client is being shamed and humiliated for explicitly discriminatory reasons, and her family is being denied a once-in-a-lifetime milestone in their daughter’s life.”
“No one should be forced to miss their graduation because of their gender.” Linda described the judge’s ruling, “as disappointing as it is absurd.”
Despite L.B having met the required qualifications needed to graduate and receive her diploma, the U.S district judge ruled behalf of the school district and their overall decision to ban the teen unles she followed drew as code policy.
The state of Mississippi has faced numerous controversies surrounding the LGBTQ community as lawmakers have recently introduced over 30 bills this year aimed at limiting their constitutional rights.
According to the New York Post, two years ago in 2021 Mississippi became the first state for ban transgender athletes from participating in both women’s and girl’s sports.