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MISSISSIPPI – A girl transgender of Mississippi, United States of America (USA) refused to participate in high school graduation ceremony on Saturday (20/5/2023). The refusal came after a US District Judge said the school district could bar the girl from attending unless she was wearing the attire required for boys.
As Reuters reports, US District Judge Taylor McNeel, a appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, said he would not stop the Harrison County School District from banning the 17-year-old girl, local media reported. The girl was listed as LB in court papers.
“Our client was shamed and shamed for explicit discriminatory reasons, and his family was denied a once-in-a-lifetime milestone in their daughter’s life,” said Linda Morris, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) Women’s.
“No one should be forced to miss their graduation because of their gender,” Morris continued.
The ACLU sued the school district this week, on behalf of LB, saying she was told she could not attend the ceremony while wearing a dress and heels, the Mississippi Free Press said in a report.
The school district dress code requires boys to wear a white button-up shirt, a black crop dress, black shoes, and a tie or bow tie.
Mississippi lawmakers have introduced more than 30 bills this year that seek to limit the rights of LGBTQ citizens. In 2021, Mississippi became the first US state to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, when Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed into law.
Harrison County School Board attorney, Wynn Clark, said in court papers that participating in graduation is voluntary and not a constitutionally protected right, the Associated Press reports.
(esn)
