A controversy has emerged out of La Feria, Texas after the town's
high school refused to allow transgender senior Jeydon Loredo to wear a
tuxedo in his senior portrait for the school's yearbook as it allegedly
violates "community standards," according to District Superintendent Rey
Villarreal. Villareal apparently told Jeydon's parents that his picture
would only be included if he wore "stereotypically feminine attire,
such as a drape or blouse."
Jeydon,
who was born biologically female but identifies as male, has enlisted
the help of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) who in turn brought in the
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to petition the school board to allow
him to appear in his yearbook in a tuxedo, an act that would respect
and recognize his gender identity. However, after a meeting on Monday
night in front of the La Feria School Board, where representatives from
both SPLC and HRC were present to argue on Jeydon's behalf, the school
board took no immediate action and is evidently not required to render a
decision within any ascertainable time-frame. Moreover, Jeydon and his
supporters now find themselves in something of a catch-22 as to how to
proceed with their case:
"The superintendent...told
representatives from the HRC that the "only formal way to address it"
was through filing a disciplinary grievance form, though the district's
own policies state that a gender discrimination complaint against the
superintendent is made directly to the school board. Complaints made
through a disciplinary grievance form, as the superintendent requested,
would put the superintendent - the target of the complaint - in charge
of the investigation's early stages."
You can read the letter sent earlier this week by SPLC to the La
Feria School Board, outlining how they are discriminating against Jeydon
and why they must move towards inclusivity, HERE.
In case you wanna call:
Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Rey Villarreal
(956) 797-8300
Or contact the District's Board of Trustees!
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