ACLU Takes on Yearbook Case

MOney will get the homophobes attention. And reduce the money that goes to their talibanical churches. Howq about a full scholarship to any college in the country that accepts her. Including grad school.

@Jeff: Thank you. A year or so ago when there was an incident of racial bigotry reported in Philly, there weren't any slurs against Northerners or urban dwellers but as soon as there's any racial or gender-related bigotry noted in the South, the slurs come flying fast and furious. Additionally, when that Black guy was killed by the cop in New Jersey, you didn't see any derogatory comments related to the cop's being from New Jersey, or the North in general. No, the accusations used in these cases are "homophobes" and "closet cases" but nothing like "hillbilly" or "redneck" or "bubba." (Interestingly, when African-American Southerners do something that's anti-gay, they don't get tagged with slurs directed at where they live; they only get slurred with the "we got our civil rights, everyone else can go f*** off" tag.)

a drape this is amazing . it is something the photographer provides .. its more like a piece of cloth .. and I am proud of her for refusing to wear it .. this is 2010 and a photo should be who you are .. this is one of the major problems with education in the USA we try to make everyone confront to old views of life .. and Mississippi is the worst place in the world to get a high school dipolma arent they always at the bottom shame on them .

A drape???? what's that??? All girls HAD to wear a certain type of clothes??? Baby that's money in the bank.

She has a good case being that there is enough precedent that will support her. However I would have rather filed a lawsuit while she was still a student and was told that she will not be in the yearbook. The other problem is that, although her case may have merit, the judge will ask how can the court remedy the situation and reconcile any damages done to her. Will they reprint new yearbooks with her picture on it? Or would it be just monetary compensation? My guess it would be better to just get the school to enact a policy of not doing that anymore (more of a PR for the girl)... but it will be interesting to see how the case turns out.

It's really a horrible thing to have happen. It's hard so say if it was directed at her sexual orientation because the article makes no mention of that. The case about gender discrimination is pretty clear. But it's not always bigotry as much as it's "old school-world" thinking. There was a time when clothing was gender specific and grooming was done in a particular way for woman and men. Those were the days when they wanted that "wholesome" and fake perfect "50's" world. That thinking still exists although we are far away from that time. It's hard to believe it still matters. Sure, the photos should be of a certain quality and the dress should be consistently semi-formal (or whatever). There should be some guidelines. I mean, a bikini top wouldn't be appropriate, but a tux is far from that.

@Jeff: I think the term "hillbillies" is quite wonderful. Here in the valley I live among a jillion of them; some of them are wonderful, warm, caring folks, some are turds. But, when it comes to homosexuality, the Bible gets in the way as well as a lack of education. There seems to be a church on every corner. Some of the locals have not been more than 40 miles away from where they live--no chance to see the rest of the world, no chance to observe other life styles. But, there is hope: The local newspaper interviewed about a dozen young people as to there view of Prop. 8, and most of them were in favor of marriage equality.

Could we maybe agree some people are small-minded without using anti-South and elitist slurs?

Tolerance starts with the schools. Students form attitudes beginning in the elementary. Teachers and coaches sponsor homophobic atmospheres in most American schools. We need to start holding them accountable. Gays in history need to be mentioned and noted in textbooks as well as any other minorities. Inclusion into American life is what scares most homophobes. I blame the schools. Children are not equipped to fight the system with its intolerant administrators, teachers, and coaches.

These bigots just cannot learn. They think they are above the law because they have "god" on their side. Every school district that has tried has lost and in the process it cost them a lot of money. You would think that they would read a little history to assess their chances of winning but no. In the other MS case they not only had to pay $35,000 but they had to pay their attorneys who do not usually come cheap. I sure hope this school district has some reserve because it is going to cost them for their bigotry. What a bunch of ignorant rednecks.