Mom Outraged After School Forced Her Son To Remove His Elsa Dress on Disney Day
When it came time for "Disney dress-up day" at Austin Lacey's school, the eighth grader decided to go as Frozen's Princess Elsa. "I wore it for fun because I'm just one of those people," Lacey told KTLA. "I like to go all out." Although his classmates were big fans of the 13-year-old's blonde braid and glittery gown, the officials at California's Ethan Chase Middle School were less impressed.
He was forced to remove his costume after his principal allegedly said it was distracting the other students. When Austin's mom, Brooke Francev, met with the principal that day, she claims he told her "It is not okay for boys to dress like girls or girls to dress like boys."
In a Facebook post, which has since gotten a lot of attention, Brooke adds that Austin's principal called the costume "dangerous."
"Given the recent law changes, I am gravely concerned with this attitude. Since attempting to address my concerns at the school site level, I have spoken with other parents who have informed me of similar situations with their children with this same administration," she wrote. "One boy wore a pink tutu in support of breast cancer awareness month and was nearly suspended for "attempting to incite a riot." He was asked in front of many other students by school staff if he was homosexual and whether or not his father was involved in his life."
"This is a blatant abuse of power and I am hoping to draw as much attention to this issue as possible to prevent this from happening to other students. Please help me get this situation into the public eye."
The school district's superintendent, Dr. Julie Vitale, said in a statement, "At no time was there any indication that the student was expressing any particular message. The Principal's action was based upon the need to stop a general disruption to the school environment."
Austin's classmates are now rallying around him. A week long initiative to wear gender stereotype defying clothing has been been planned to support the LGBT community.
"My son, personally, he's not a transgender student," Francev told KTLA. "But through this, he's really taken a stand on the rights that all people have. Equal rights."
