Lesbian Sues to Wear
Tux to Prom

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.