A 17-year-old lesbian
student in Indiana is fighting for her right to party, dressed
in her own style. The student at Lebanon High School in Boone
County, northwest of Indianapolis,
filed a lawsuit
with help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana
after her principal told her she could not wear a tuxedo to the
prom on April 25.
The principal cited a
long-standing policy dictating that men wear tuxedos
and women wear formal dresses to the prom. The student, whose
name has not been released, countered with court filings saying
that she does not wear dresses because they express a sexual
identity she does not embrace.
The ACLU of Indiana has
asked a federal court to issue an injunction requiring Lebanon
High School to let the student wear a tux to the prom. They
argue that the school district's dress code policy violates her
right to freedom of expression, and runs afoul of
constitutional stipulations that the government treat male and
female students the same.
Attorneys for the
school district argue that clothing is not a protected form of
expression.
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