Virginia school district ponders banning cross-gender dress - Polidicks

[quote]SUFFOLK, Va (Reuters) - A Virginia school district is considering banning cross-gender dressing in a move proponents said aims to protect students from harassment, but which civil liberties and gay rights groups said would amount to an assault on free speech. Board members said they wanted to protect the children in the school district in Suffolk, about 20 miles from Norfolk, from the types of tragedies such as killings and suicides tied to bullying in other parts of the country. The proposed dress code would prohibit students from wearing clothing "not in keeping with a student's gender" and that "causes a disruption and/or distracts others from the education process or poses a health or safety concern." The board opted to pursue the ban after teachers at one of the district's three high schools said some male students were dressing like girls, prompting complaints from other students, district spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw said. Board Vice Chairwoman Thelma Hinton, in supporting the ban, cited the killing of a 15-year-old California cross-dressing student by another student in 2008 and the suicide of a 14-year-old gay student last year in New York after online bullying. "When a situation is brought up to me, I'm going to speak out if I have to speak out, and take a stand," Hinton said Thursday at a board meeting, adding that she was more concerned about the safety of the district's 14,000 students than civil rights. "It has nothing to do with a person's gender -- who they are," Hinton said. "Of course I don't want anyone's rights being violated, but I have done some research." A vote on the issue is expected in March, and a ban would take effect on July 1 if approved, Bradshaw said. ACLU SAYS BAN IS VAGUE AND DISCRIMINATORY The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia had already called the proposed ban unconstitutionally vague and sexually discriminatory even before Thursday's meeting. After hearing board members offer general support for the ban on Thursday, the state ACLU plans to outline possible legal actions that could follow if it is adopted, Virginia ACLU Executive Director Kent Willis told Reuters. James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, suggested that district administrators needed education on issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. "If a girl comes to school wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, is that considered cross-gender dressing?" he told Reuters, adding that a misunderstanding of the issues could actually make the students more susceptible to bullying. "They're calling it cross-dressing, but if that individual was wearing clothes that reflect their gender identity, that's not cross-dressing, that's appropriate gender dressing," he said. Several incidents where relentless verbal assaults and online harassment led to the suicides or murders of gay or lesbian teens over the past few years have led to tougher anti-bullying laws in some states. New Jersey passed tougher anti-bullying laws after a gay college student killed himself after reportedly being bullied, and New York lawmakers were looking at how to stem the kind of harassment that led to the Buffalo teen's suicide. In Suffolk, school board attorney Wendell Waller said opponents who read the proposed ban as a straight prohibition missed its intent. He also said the district would press ahead with what he described as a "very delicate" balancing act. "It is not a straight prohibition of anything, unless it ... forms a disruption of the education process," Waller said.[/quote] [url]http://www.wtkr.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-virginia-clothing-gendertre81a0p7-20120211,0,3352389.story[/url] Johnny, why must our state be so backwards sometimes?

This sounds dumb. I mean what the hell as long as some boy isn't coming dressed in strings and a bra I don't think they should be able to say anything about it. Just make them wear school uniforms if it's that fucking important

Why not actually teach children to accept and respect each other instead of taking away someone else's rights? Fucking hell.

[quote]Board members said they wanted to protect the children in the school district in Suffolk, about 20 miles from Norfolk, from the types of tragedies such as killings and suicides tied to bullying in other parts of the country.[/quote] how the hell is this going to protect students from anything

[QUOTE=DuncanFrost;34663437]how the hell is this going to protect students from anything[/QUOTE] Because apparently it's provocative and results in bullying.

[QUOTE=Mooe94;34663435]Why not actually teach children to accept and respect each other instead of taking away someone else's rights? Fucking hell.[/QUOTE] Because it takes actual effort to do something like that.

Oh noes they're gonna take away our skirts.

[QUOTE=Mooe94;34663435]Why not actually teach children to accept and respect each other instead of taking away someone else's rights? Fucking hell.[/QUOTE] Common belief amongst the lesser educated believe that will turn straight people gay and the already gay will turn into Satan.

[QUOTE=Mooe94;34663435]Why not actually teach children to accept and respect each other instead of taking away someone else's rights? Fucking hell.[/QUOTE] Because that's not easy enough. Also lol conservatives. [SUP]semi-ninja'd but whatever[/SUP]

Reminds me of that one boy who started wearing a skirt to school to protest something like this. [editline]asdfg[/editline] Okay now that I look it up, it wasn't really that similar to this, but it was still a gender-based, dress-code-related ban. :v:

While we're at it, ban women from wearing pants instead of skirts and dresses.

Why must the world have to make a non-issue an issue

[quote]"If a girl comes to school wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, is that considered cross-gender dressing?" he told Reuters, adding that a misunderstanding of the issues could actually make the students more susceptible to bullying.[/quote] Oh, already covered it seems. Really though. I don't think boys should be any less entitled to wearing girls clothes than girls are entitled to wear mens clothes. I don't like double-standards. If it's alright for one gender, it should be alright for the other. If it's not alright for one gender, it should not be alright for the other.

Why not fucking punish the bullies instead of restricting what their victims can do/wear?

[QUOTE=BuffaloBill;34663788]Why not fucking punish the bullies instead of restricting what their victims can do/wear?[/QUOTE] Because it's how they push through rules to legalize discrimination. It's like the reasoning behind Don't Ask Don't Tell, "We just want our troops to be safe, so we're not saying you're not allowed to be gay, we just don't want to know about it because penises are yucky and I heard openly gay people sparkle like Edward and it will give away our troops on night missions." Or think about white people you know who have no problem with black people in the schools as long as they "don't act too black." My school had three black people in it, and one of my friend's parents claimed it was too many.

Wow it would have been hilarious if boys turned up in skirts when I was at high school

They didn't already?

[QUOTE=PrusseluskenV2;34663683]I don't think these morons know the difference of gender and sex.[/QUOTE] Actually, its pretty common to tie gender with sex. What's been said has be said, these guys are idiots.

[QUOTE=Swilly;34664321]Actually, its pretty common to tie gender with sex. What's been said has be said, these guys are idiots.[/QUOTE] Still moronic.

Wow, this will get them sued to hell and back. Completely violates the civil rights act of 1964.

[QUOTE=Mooe94;34663435]Why not actually teach children to accept and respect each other instead of taking away someone else's rights? Fucking hell.[/QUOTE] But that would be such a violation of their freedom to be xenophobic assholes. :rolleyes:

The students there should show up in intentionally hideous drag to protest it.

I'm sorry but whenever I hear the words "cross-gender" and "dress" together the only image that comes to my mind is the hairy legs of a forty years old man wearing a flower-pattern Marge Simpson dress with a collar and high-heel shoes. I know it's not actually what it is but it still cracks me up :v:

What the fuck this is my state

[QUOTE=PrusseluskenV2;34663683]I don't think these morons know the difference of gender and sex.[/QUOTE] Now I kinda hope this passes, with the document saying gender and [I]not[/I] sex. Then when someone with GD exploits this and gets in trouble, he/she can sue the school and use the damages to fund their medication / operation. :v:

My school banned gender bender day during spirit week because a lot of guys wore very... [I]very[/I] convincing costumes :v:

Cool, so gender-variant students can feel even more isolated and hated than they already do. good going

Virginia is a creepy ass state anyway. Last time I had to drive through, I felt like I was in a Stephen King story. Off ramps that went to literally nowhere, completely blank road signs. Highway signs that indicated an exit that didn't exist. A giant fucking cross towering in to the sky. I thought the entire state might be haunted. So really, this seems rather tame for Virginia.

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;34668422]Virginia is a creepy ass state anyway. Last time I had to drive through, I felt like I was in a Stephen King story. Off ramps that went to literally nowhere, completely blank road signs. Highway signs that indicated an exit that didn't exist. A giant fucking cross towering in to the sky. I thought the entire state might be haunted. So really, this seems rather tame for Virginia.[/QUOTE]Never experienced that here, though I'm in northern Virginia

[QUOTE=Swilly;34664321]Actually, its pretty common to tie gender with sex.[/QUOTE] It's common, and it's [I]wrong[/I].