Instead, Mississipi's Copiah County School District will now ask
all students - male and female, straight or gay - to wear identical
cap and gowns as part of a lawsuit settlement with former student
Ceara Sturgis.
As reported on DIVA, Sturgis chose to wear a tuxedo rather than a
dress for her yearbook photograph at the Wesson Attendance Centre
in 2010. The school refused to include the photograph or any
mention of Sturgis in the annual yearbook.
As a result, Sturgis later filed a lawsuit against the school
claiming her rights had been violated.
Now, as part of their settlement of the case, the school have
standardised their dress code
and will also amend its anti-discrimination policy to add language
affirming its commitment to following the equal protection clause
of the U.S. Constitution.
"I'm really happy, I'm excited," Sturgis told msnbc.com. "I'm
proud of my school because they decided to do the right
thing.
"My school has started something, a good thing, baby steps," she
said.
