Lesbian Students Don't Exist in Mississippi Yearbooks

When it comes to LGBT students in Mississippi, most of the recent news has circulated around Constance McMillen, the 18-year-old Itawamba Agricultural High School student who was banned from her prom, then tricked into attending a sham prom. But Itawamba isn't the only high school guilty of widespread immaturity.

Take a peek at Wesson Attendance Center in (you guessed it) Wesson, Mississippi. They made news last October, because the school had a bird over whether 18-year-old lesbian student Ceara Sturgis could have her picture taken wearing a tuxedo. For Wesson, girls in tuxedos are akin to lacing the cafeteria French fries with crack. In other words, a big no-no. They wanted Ceara to wear a dress.

Ceara and her mother, Veronica Rodriguez, commissioned the Mississippi ACLU (which has certainly had its hands full this year) for help. The ACLU sent a letter calling for the school to let Ceara's tuxedo picture fly. But the school still refused to budge.

Now, six months later, Wesson Attendance Center has just released their yearbooks, giving everyone in the class the picture perfect memo of high school. The only problem? They not only refused to include a picture of Ceara; they refused to include any mention of her at all.

For Ceara's mother Veronica, it's all a one-two punch of injustice for her daughter.

"It's like she's nobody there, even though she's gone to school there for 12 years," Veronica told the Jackson Free Press. "They mentioned none of her accolades, even though she's one of the smartest students there with wonderful grades. They've got kids in the book that have been busted for drugs. There's even a picture of one of the seniors who dropped out of school."

Veronica was left wondering why this school would do this to her daughter. The answer? Because they can.

Because there's no such thing yet as a Student Non-Discrimination Act to compel schools to act in the best interests of all their students, regardless of sexual orientation. The result is that students like Ceara, even if they have amazing grades and have spent 12 years working hard, are rewarded with a big fat scoop of discrimination. No yearbook photo. No mention of what her life dreams are. No list of nicknames that her friends called her.

If there's any consolation in this case, it's that, according to Ceara's mother, students have been largely supportive.

"It's not the students. The students love and accept her," Veronica said. "The kids even nominated her for prom queen, but she ducked out, knowing the officials would never let her be prom queen."

Reason #5,109 why we need a Student Non-Discrimination Act today.

Photo credit: PlayfulLibrarian