GenderPAC Decries School Board’s Ban of Girl in Tux

~Florida high school student excluded from yearbook for refusing to wear a gown and pearls, but parents support their daughter~

Washington, D.C. (February 28, 2005) The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) decries the decision to ban a straight-A high school student from her senior yearbook for wearing a tux instead of a dress and pearls. Even though there is no written dress code for senior pictures, the principal in Green Cove Springs, Florida pulled Kelli Davis’s picture and fired the yearbook editor. The school board let the decision stand.

“It is outrageous that county school officials would force female students to wear low-cut gowns or risk exclusion in their own yearbook. Kelli Davis is a member of the community and she should be honored and respected as such,” said GenderPACs Youth Program Director, Kristin Effland. “And that principal should get back to what’s really important – educating young people, not policing their choice of outfits.”

The school board’s decision conflicts with new National School Boards Association guidelines that say there is no legal justification for gender-specific dress codes. http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/34600/34527.pdf

Kelli explained that she felt uncomfortable exposing her chest in a photo. Kelli’s parents support their daughter and took out an ad in the yearbook featuring the banned photo.

“We hear a lot of talk these days about family values. This young woman’s parents are showing real family values by supporting their daughter,” said Effland. “Young people should be able to choose how they want to be remembered in their yearbooks. If that sounds simple, that’s because it is.”

The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition(GenderPAC) is the national advocacy organization working to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes. GenderPAC's GenderYOUTH Network trains college students to work with high school youth who may be targeted for bullying and harassment because they don't live up to gender stereotypes.

The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) is the national advocacy organization working to end discrimination and violence caused by gender stereotypes. To join today, visit us at http://www.gpac.org/join.

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