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Here is the beginning of the quote from Macky: "My first thought with stories like this is that somebody is trying to find their 15 minutes of fame..."
Here is the story I wrote that ran yesterday along with other LGBT & mainstream media:
Brody's Notes... 16 Year Old Cross-dressing Teen told to dress "More Manly"
"I don't consider myself a cross-dresser," he said. "This is just who I am."
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Oct 7 | Jonathan Escobar dressed in vintage clothes, skinny jeans, wore make-up, wigs and lady's hats, which created enough friction in his Miami, FL home, that his parents sent him north to live with his older sister in Kennesaw, Georgia, in suburban Atlanta.
He had only attended school there for three days when an assistant principal at the North Cobb County High School told him that his appearance had caused a fight between other students and was disruptive. The principal added that he either should dress "more manly" or consider homeschooling.
"You can't wear clothing that causes a disruption," said Jay Dillon, spokesman for Cobb County. The district lists the dress code on its homepage. The rule states that students should "refrain from any mode of dress which proves to contribute to any disruption of school functions." School administrators and teachers are the final judge of the appropriateness of clothing, according to the rule. Dillon said he believed Escobar arrived at school in a dress and heels.
According to Escobar; he said he never wore a dress. He says he opted for "skinny" jeans all three days with flats.
"I told myself I can't accept this," said Escobar, who wore a pink wig to school last Wednesday. Two days later, he withdrew himself from school. Escobar says he wasn't a disruption in the classroom, but he attracted attention in the lunchroom. "Everybody was surrounding me," he said. On his second day of school, Escobar says he was pulled out of class to speak with a police officer who told him he was concerned about the student's safety. "They should've told the students to back off," Escobar said. "They should have never given me the option of homeschooling or changing who I am."
In his short time at the school, Escobar apparently made hundreds of friends. By Tuesday evening, nearly 900 supporters had joined a Facebook group called "Support Jonathan." Many were planning to purchase a bright pink T-shirt with the same phrase.
Escobar says he wants to be allowed to attend school and eventually graduate. But he doesn't want to stifle what he calls his art.
"If I can't express myself, I won't go to school," he said. "I want to get the message out there that because this is who I am, I can't get an education."
His previous high school didn't have an issue with the way he dressed, but his parents did. His sister, Veronica Escobar, urged her parents to let Jonathan come to live with her. Now she says she's shocked by what has happened.
"I didn't think they would take it this far," Veronica Escobar said.
{The truth is that U.S. schools and communities take exception to individual expression and freedoms and often will harass those who are "different" than the homogenized & more acceptable stereotypes of perceived gender norms. This teenager was NOT looking for his so-called 15 minutes of fame, at not least from what I gathered in my interview with him.}
Macky~ I would advise you to take a closer look at the LGBT community as a whole and research the rich diversity of it. Here's a shameless plug for my website to be certain, but I have complied a list of resources and non-profits that advance the cause of equal rights for LGBT persons as well as provide much needed support & information. BEFORE you jump into the pool, take a hard look at what is affecting the LGBT community and what issues are a part of the overall picture.
If nothing else, please visit hrc.org.
[Updated on: Thu, 08 October 2009 16:48] |
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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Brody, many LGB folk misunderstand T and I'm sure Macky is not alone
I see T as Transgender or transexual, others include transvestite. It gets confusing. I admit to my own confusion. Are Drag Queens transvestite, for example, or are they an extra category?
Some kids are attention seeking, others are simply assertive and stand up for themselves, and others are simply victims.
The advice to look at LGBT as a whole is good. I'm still learning. So I'll take my hitherto unsaid comment of confusion as the target of this post.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Macky
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Really getting into it |
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
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I didn't mean to come across as disparaging the boy. I even promulgated the URL for his facebook in case folks here wanted to comment.
I just think that the rules of the school are a consideration. To me, it is not unbelievable that this student's dress did indeed bring about some disruption at the school. I just think that you sorta have to respect some rules, or at least consider them.
It could well be that this kid has a mission for Transvestites similar to that of the Stonewall crew had for gay rights. Maybe anyone should dress as they please and that male/female modes of dress should become anachronistic.
I just don't know.
I just would hope that this young man manages to turn the issue away from himself and towards consideration of the propriety of the school's rules and the interpretation of those rules, as regards folks with Transvestite needs. For me, that would be the deciding factor in determining the sincerity of his goals.
But I'm always open to the charge that I'm just old and don't know what's happening. That is likely true. But I enjoy the exchange here, and hope I can tag along without causing too much disruption to all the various causes and happenings.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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I've no experience of schools without uniforms. I think the school uniform has a great deal to recommend it. But I guess a "no makeup" rule would probably catch the lad.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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When I was at school we had to wear a uniform. Maybe that was a good thing? It was justified as preventing competition over standard of dress, fashion and so on between pupils.
I have sympathy for people who want to dress outlandishly, because I do myself, but wonder where the limits are and where they ought to be. For example would those that support him continue to do so if he dressed in Koala 'swimwear' or extreme gear such as is worn at Folsom St Fair?
And why should he have any scope for outlandish wear? I don't know, but would be inclined to agree with some reasonable dress code if the school had one.
Love,
Anthony
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I think his sister is a nut. That High school is the most redneck in the county. (Kennesaw has a law on the books requiring every homeowner to own a gun) there are many other schools in the county that would have been a lot more accepting....he probably wouldn't have even been noticed at a couple of them.
some comments from the local paper:
Escobar's appearance created an uproar on campus last week after he enrolled at a Kennesaw school. School administrators said their main goal was to keep the student safe, and they made accommodations for him.
When Escobar wanted to use the girls' restroom at North Cobb High School, school leaders knew that would cause a problem. Similarly, they worried about him using the boys' restroom.
"He was the only one out of 2,600 students allowed to use the administrators' restroom," Principal Phillip Page said Wednesday. "And he still used the girls' restroom.
But on his second day at the school, administrators had their hands full.
"The pink wig is a bit much," Jackie Turner said she told the student. Turner, an assistant administrator at the school, said Escobar agreed to let the bright wig "R.I.P."
"We never had a chance to sit down and talk about what was going to be appropriate," Page said. "He chose to withdraw from school."
(\\__/) And if you don't believe The sun will rise
(='.'=) Stand alone and greet The coming night
(")_(") In the last remaining light. (C. Cornell)
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"It could well be that this kid has a mission for Transvestites similar to that of the Stonewall crew had for gay rights."
That was not the impression I got when I interviewed him.
"I just would hope that this young man manages to turn the issue away from himself and towards consideration of the propriety of the school's rules and the interpretation of those rules..."
I spoke with his sister who indicated that his former high school in Dade County, FL did not take issue with his manner of dress NOR his expressing himself artistically. She also said that the local Cobb County officials exaggerated the so-called fight and disruptive elements and that the officials were quite 'negative' in their attitudes. As I stated earlier, this is a knee-jerk reaction by school officials who get unpleasant when confronted with this issue. Cobb County is smack dab in the middle of the Yank Bible Belt and is in the suburban Atlanta area. Remember the Eagle Bar Raid 2 weeks or so ago?
"I just think that the rules of the school are a consideration. To me, it is not unbelievable that this student's dress did indeed bring about some disruption at the school. I just think that you sorta have to respect some rules, or at least consider them."
BUT, enforcement should NOT include homophobic comments nor should it include ostracizing a teen's self expression just because it does not fit with the homogenized majority's outlook and viewpoint/culture. That violates the precepts of the 1st Amendment to your constitution does it not?
I submit that my ire was raised only because you came off sounding like one of the lemmings that blindly follow the sort of ilk like Beck & Limbaugh. I just covered a story regarding that lot a few days ago. Here; (http://brodylevesque.blogspot.com/2009/10/brodys-scribbles-right-wing-media-gay.html) If my perception was incorrect, then I apologise.
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Macky
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Really getting into it |
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
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"if my perception was incorrect, then I apologise."
I think I'm often misunderstood Brody. It's because sometimes I just have a minute or so to spare and dash off things, with no proper re-read for ambiguities and clarifications.
And I know how recalcitrant school administrators can be. I've been fighting for accommodations for my handicapped son for years.
Macky
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
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e
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On fire! |
Location: currently So Cal
Registered: May 2002
Messages: 1179
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Being a student in a PhD program in educational psychology, I just had to weigh in on this one.
I'll start by saying that comparing Dade Co. to Kennesaw, Ga is just plain wrong. Dade is Miami. They have a large gay community and are quite used to dealing with such things. Kennesaw is Redneck, USA. I would imagine they have no such experience and little tolerance. The school adninistration's heart was probably in the right place. They probably were looking to protect the boy. Most certainly someone would eventually have been offended enough to have attacked him. The boy stated that he expects the school to protect him from the other students by telling them to back off. But if he refuses to follow the directives of school authorities, why should he expect the other students to follow them? At some point he must take responsibility for protecting himself. Would we be criticising the school's response if he had continued there and been beaten to death? He's putting a target on his back and then expects the school to jump in front of the bullets.
He wants to blame the school for his inability to get an education, but it is he who is refusing to go to school. Life is a series of compromises. It's a lesson he needs to learn. If changing the dress code is his agenda, there are ways to go about it. I participated in a rally and a protest while in 6th grade to change the school dress code to allow us to wear blue jeans (it was 1971), we won and beginning the following year, it was permitted.
Apparently dress was not the only problem. According to EJ's post, he also wanted to use the girls' restroom. This is totally inappropriate. The school's solution was to allow him use of the administrative bathroom. This was a very appropriate solution. He apparently refused and violated the girls' rights to privacy in the process. He wants his right to self-expression, but why should his rights supercede the rights of others?
Could the school have handled this problem better? The answer is most likely yes. The dress "more manly" comment sounds out of line as does the suggestion to consider homeschooling after just three days. A simple reference to the school dress code should have been sufficient. Blaming him for a fight between other students was wrong as well, even if he was the subject of the fight. He should be held responsible for his own behavior, but not that of others.
It's an unfortunate situation. There would appear to be plenty of blame to go around, on both sides. The school certainly could have handled it in a more professional manner, but his unwillingness to compromise may have made it impossible regardless of how the school responded.
Think good thoughts,
e
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saben
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On fire! |
Registered: May 2003
Messages: 1537
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Beck? You didn't mention him in the original article and in fact he's one of the FOX news commentators I like more (from what I've seen of him).
It's frustrating as a libertarian to have no real mainstream news source. I'm stuck with conservatives that make a lot of sense on economics but end up having no idea about social matters or neosocialists that are open minded about issues like sexuality while simultaneously supporting the right of government to make decisions for us.
I wish there was more consistency and rational thought in media. I'm not entirely opposed to ideology and subjectivity in media (though I definitely think that fact-based media is preferable). But the inconsistency of ideology in the world irks me.
Look at this tree. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time [...] No matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
Master Oogway
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