Student Told Queer Shirt is Against Dress Code
Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…
A queer-positive 8th grader in California was ordered to cover up a t-shirt showing LGBTQ solidarity.
According to the Fresno Bee, Andria Zavala showed up to Clark Intermediate School in Clovis, CA wearing a Pride shirt that read “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning,” which was apparently an Easter present from her mother. She was told by the school that she had to button up her flannel to cover the shirt, because it could be “a distraction to other people and their beliefs.”
Student Andria Zavala of Clark Intermediate School in Clovis, California told to cover up her pro-LGBTQ T-shirt because it was ‘distracting’ https://t.co/96wW13h6dm via @lgbtqnation
— Bob Garcia (@1reddragon696) May 9, 2018
The reasoning behind the decision was cited from the dress code, which bans “extreme fashion that draws undue attention to the student.” Under this rule, anything considered too “distracting ” can be banned. Considering that the shirt was a basic white tee with black lettering, Zavala considered the ruling unfair.
“I also think (the shirt) stands for pride, pride in being unapologetically yourself and not having to apologize for your sexual orientation,” she told the Fresno Bee.
Zavala was bold enough to wear her shirt to school, but with the current political climate and this pervasive attitude, a lot of students probably won’t be. Props to her for standing up for queer rights in an un-inclusive atmosphere.
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Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.