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When Girls Dress Like Guys
By Al
Ruechel | 06-20-02
Nikki Youngblood is a
senior at Plant High School in Hillsborough County who likes to
dress like a guy. And quite frankly, she could easily pass for a
pretty big guy in her short-sleeved shirts and short cropped hair
and khaki jeans. Her mom says she has always liked dressing this
way, and this isn't something new.
"I encourage her to be the person she is," says her mom. "This is
the way she dresses and that's fine with me."
Here's the problem. All of the senior boys are required to wear
tuxedos for their official senior pictures. The girls are required
to wear drape blouses. This is "the law" set down by the annual
staff and the principal of the school, similar to most of the
counties in the State of Florida. You don 't follow the rules, you
don't get your picture in the yearbook. Other kids who didn't want
to "obey" have been denied places in the yearbook. This isn't a new
policy. And, for the record, being in the yearbook isn't a
constitutional right.
Now, I suspect, egged on by gay and lesbian groups, Nikki is going
to sue the school board. And, yes, her attorney says they are
seeking a monetary settlement. Money, money, money! Funny how
everything seems to boil down to the green stuff.
"The way you get them to change is to hit them in the pocketbook,"
says Nikki to the TV cameras.
Still, Nikki insists money has nothing to do with it and she just
wants to have the right to wear what she wants in her yearbook. It
takes a lot of courage to do what Nikki is doing and I don't knock
her for trying. But if she thinks it is just as simple as showing up
in a guy's tux or holding a news conference she's going to be
disappointed.
Nikki calls it "gender expression". So, what if some guy for his
"gender expression" wants to dress up in a drape blouse for the
yearbook or better yet, a bra and a g-string for his senior picture?
If Nikki wins her case, then so does that guy!
Her attorney says the school district has stereotypes of what they
think females should or shouldn't wear and they don't have the right
to set standards based on their stereotypes. The school district
says it does have the right to establish dress codes and is willing
to take this to a judge.
Whatever happened to school rules? Hard to believe, but one of the
reasons there are school rules and policies is to teach kids that
rules and policies govern our lives. You can't just dismiss a rule
here or there because it makes you feel bad or makes you feel
uncomfortable. The Courts have ruled over and over again that
schools do have the authority to issue rules that may restrict the
self-expression of students without violating their constitutional
rights.
But oh, when we start screaming "discrimination" everyone perks up!
You can' t discriminate based on sexual orientation. Does that mean
you have to throw out all the rules that are affected by gender? Why
can't guys who think they are girls dress and shower in the girl's
locker room, or vice versa? Why can 't guys wear dresses to proms
and run for prom queen in drag or sue if they are denied the right?
Gosh, there are so many questioned raised that it boggles the mind!
I don't take this gay and lesbian issue in our public schools
lightly. I feel a tremendous amount of sympathy for those kids who
are struggling with their sexual orientation. If it truly is
biological and there's scientific proof that it's not a matter of
choice, then we have a whole different ball game. But that proof
doesn't exist leaving us all in limbo. And think of the poor
principal who is suddenly thrust into the position of having to
decide the gender of certain pieces of clothing. Give me a break.
Quite frankly, I think a lot of this turmoil has been brought on by
the gay and lesbian movement trying to force kids to "declare" their
orientation before they've figured out the big picture. I've
personally heard horrible stories from a number of teenagers who
deeply regret that they caved in to peer pressure and declared
themselves as lesbians when they knew in their hearts they weren't.
Once they were labeled, not a single guy would even give them a
second thought.
Then there's the religious implication. What bugs most Christians
about these kinds of gender identity cases is that they are shoved
right down believers' throats. Nikki is getting a lot of support
from gay and lesbian groups who take great delight in blasting
Christians. Why? Most believing Christians don't accept the gay and
lesbian lifestyle because the Bible specifically speaks against it.
What they love to call "homophobia" believers call "Biblical truth".
So, when Nikki wants to wear a tux rather than a blouse, it's like
flagging your fingers over your nose at the Good Lord Almighty. God
says to love the sinner but not the sin. Don't take this personally,
Nikki, but Christians are merely following the document that directs
their behavior and are not re-writing it to match the changing
behaviors of an ever increasing weird world.
I'm not saying that all these factors are being considered by school
officials in this case. The school spokesman says it's simply a
matter of following rules set by the students, principal and
yearbook staff for years and years. Nikki can have a half page in
the yearbook to dress up like Bozo the Clown if she chooses, but not
in the senior portraits section. I am pointing out these factors to
explain why gender identity cases involving our kids are even more
hypersensitive than cases with adults.
Then again, I asked my wife, who shares the same Biblical beliefs as
I do, what she thinks. "Let her wear whatever she wants. If she's
been dressing like this for years the kids already know what she is.
Making a big deal about it is just playing into the hands of the gay
and lesbian groups who want more publicity. That's the last thing we
need!"
She is right, again! Next time, I'll let her write the column.
Al Ruechel, copyright 2002, all
rights reserved
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