A transgender Mississippi girl is skipping her high school graduation after administrators demanded the teen dress like a boy for the ceremony — and a federal judge refused to block the order.
The girl, 17, identified in court papers as L.B., was told by Harrison Central High School officials she was expected to adhere to the boys’ dress code for the graduation and wear “pants, socks, and shoes, like a boy.”
The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday sued the district on behalf of the teen and her parents.
US District Judge Taylor McNeel upheld the school’s decision Friday,
The school’s attorney had argued the Saturday ceremony was voluntary, and attending isn’t a constitutionally protected right.
Meanwhile, Linda Morris, an attorney for the ACLU, called the move “as disappointing as it is absurd.”
“Our client is being shamed and humiliated for explicitly discriminatory reasons, and her family is being denied a once-in-a-lifetime milestone in their daughter’s life,” Morris said. “No one should be forced to miss their graduation because of their gender.”
The teen “had met all the qualifications to receive a diploma,” according to school officials — and had even selected a white dress to wear with her cap and gown.
According to the lawsuit, L.B. had worn dresses to class and other extracurricular activities throughout high school — including prom last year — and shouldn’t face discriminatory treatment during graduation.
After school officials learned L.B. planned to follow the girls’ dress code, school superintendent Mitchell King told the teen’s mother she could not participate in the graduation ceremony unless L.B. wears “pants, socks, and shoes, like a boy,” according to the suit.
Though L.B. met the qualifications needed to graduate, the judge sided with the school district’s attorney, Wynn Clark, who wrote in court papers Friday that taking part in a graduation ceremony is voluntary, and not a constitutionally protected right for any student.
Mississippi lawmakers have introduced over 30 bills this year aimed at limiting rights of LGBTQ citizens.
In 2021, the state became the first to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girl’s sports.
