A g-ay student in the US who was su-spended for wearing nail polish has delivered a passionate speech to the school board.
Trevor Wilkinson was su-spended from Clyde High School in Texas on 30 November for bre-aching the dress code. The story subsequently went viral and a petition to change the policy started by the 17-year-old has amassed more than 360,000 signatures.
Now, Trevor – who describes himself as a ‘g-ay male and beyond proud’ – has delivered a powerful speech to the school board, urging them to change the dress code. In the speech, he said: “This isn’t about me anymore. It’s about a d!scriminatory, se*ist policy that needs to be changed.
“Why is it aga!nst the dress code for a man to be comfortable with his masculinity and d-efy the gender norms society has imposed on us?”Why is it ha-rmful to me to wear nail polish? If it’s not ha-rmful to girls to wear it, why is it ha-rmful to males?”
He concluded: “We’re all supposed to be equal. Not having our freedom of expression suppressed, not having our voices not heard because grown-ups are taking three steps back instead of forward.”
But it seems the heartfelt speech on Monday (14 December) didn’t do the trick, as the school’s superintendent, Kenny Berry, has issued a statement stating that changes to the dress code would only be considered when the school conducts its annual review.
The statement read: “As set out in Board policy, Clyde CISD (Clyde Independent School District) believes students should attend school in a safe and supportive environment that promotes equality for all, and the District takes all appropriate measures to ensure its actions align with that policy.
“While the District expects students to ab!de by established rules of conduct, the District is also always open to reconsidering policies or rules that do not reflect the District’s intentions.
“To that end, the District will conduct a thorough review of its dress code when it performs its annual review of the Student Handbook and, until that time, the District will assure that no student is treated in a d!scriminatory or inequitable manner. “Under federal and state law, the District cannot publicly comment on or discuss specific student matters.”However, be assured that the District appreciates the feedback and input that has been recently received from members of the community.”
This Article First Published On LADBIBLE