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    Virginia School Might Ban Student Cross-Dressing

    By Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Feb 14, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    To protect students from bullying, a high school in Suffolk, Va., is considering banning cross-dressing. The school says gender-bender students are at risk from harassment, but LGBT activists and the American Civil Liberties Union don't agree, says Reuters. Here are details about school cross-dressing codes and how they might affect bullying.

    * Teachers at the Virginia school reported some male students coming to school dressed in female clothing had prompted complaints from other students. Cross-dressing was said to disrupt the learning environment. The school board said banning cross-dressing could also prevent bullying.

    * Board member Thelma Hinton cited the 2008 shooting death of Lawrence King, 15, a student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, Calif. King had started to wear makeup and girls jewelry, says the Los Angeles Times. He was shot by a fellow student.

    * The ACLU says the ban would be sexual discrimination since it would only apply to boys dressing as girls. An LGBT activist group says cross-dressing is appropriate for students who identify as being of the opposite gender and that disallowing it violates a student's freedom of speech.

    * With bullying and cyberbullying suicides on the rise, legislation is being pushed that prohibits students from making comments about each other based on gender, race, handicap or religion in school, says Public News Service. Some groups like Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays want added sexual orientation or dress choice added to the list of things a student can't be teased for.

    * Last month, Michigan's school anti-bullying legislation took effect. One of the arguments from some parents was it didn't explicitly state what a student couldn't be teased for, says the Grand Rapids Press. An earlier amendment in the bill said students could raise moral and religious exemptions to students for personal choices. That exemption was removed as lawmakers felt it could be used as a license to bully gay kids.

    * That's the biggest concern levied against the Virginia school potential ban, that instead of preventing bullying and protecting cross-dressers, it will encourage kids to pick on LGBT kids and will punish the innocent, says Reuters.

    Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about parenting from 23 years raising four kids and 25 years teaching K-8, special needs, adult education and home-school.

     

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