Ceara Sturgis A Mississippi teenager is suing her school district, after she was left out of her school yearbook for wearing a tuxedo in her photo. Eighteen-year-old lesbian Ceara Sturgis was told she would not be included in the book unless she wore a drape, which looks like a dress. She dug her heels in and wore a tux. The Wesson Attendance Center yearbook did not run her picture - or even list her name. The case has striking similarities to that of another lesbian teenager from the US state,Constance McMillen. She won damages in a settlement with her school district after she was banned from wearing a tux or taking a female date to her prom. The American Civil Liberties Union went into bat for McMillen and is stepping in to help Sturgis with her legal battle. The group concedes the case feels like déjà vu. "Our lawsuit charges that Ceara was unfairly discriminated against based on her sex and unfair gender stereotypes," it says. Sturgis has worn boys' clothes all her life. She tried posing with the drape, but felt extremely uncomfortable and had her mother request that she wear the tuxedo instead. The yearbook photographer permitted her to wear a tux, but after the portrait was taken, the principal told her that he would not allow the photo to be published. Despite efforts to resolve the issue by Sturgis' mother and the ACLU, the 18-year-old received her yearbook without her portrait, or even her name, included in the senior class portrait section. Sturgis says, "I went to school with my classmates my whole life, and it hurts that I'm not included in my senior yearbook as part of my graduating class. I never thought that my school would punish me just for being who I am." You can support Ceara Sturgisby joining her Facebook page
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 19th August 2010 - 1:16pm