This Teen Was Sent Home Over A T-Shirt Because Apparently The Word ‘Lesbian’ Is Offensive Now
We’re only halfway through September and the new school year is already a disaster of dress code drama. Just the other day over a dozen teenagers were sent home because the headmistress said their pants were so tight they might “distract” the male teachers, and now a high school girl was sent home over an “offensive” T-shirt, because apparently the word “lesbian” is offensive now.
According to The Washington Post, 18-year-old Brianna Popour was sent home from Chesnee High School in Chesnee, South Carolina, last week because her purple T-shirt had the words “Nobody knows I’m a lesbian” written across the front. Popour says she’s worn the shirt before with no reaction from anybody, but this time an administrator pulled her out of class and had her come to the front office, where he told her she was going to have to change or go home.
”When I said something to him about the handbook, he said ”well, not everything is in the handbook,” said Popour.
The school district reportedly told WSPA that the shirt was “offensive and distracting,” and said the student handbook specifies that ”clothing deemed distracting, revealing, overly suggestive or otherwise disruptive will not be permitted.”
Popour’s shirt does not seem particularly distracting, especially since she pointed out that she’s openly gay and has been out for several years now. All her classmates already know she’s a lesbian, so nobody’s likely to do a double-take at the shirt.
The handbook also specifies that the school will ban any clothing deemed “immodest, obscene, profane, lewd, vulgar, indecent or offensive.” It’s hard to see how this shirt fits, unless merely acknowledging that a person is a lesbian is offensive.
Popour’s mother said she asked the administrator what was offensive about the shirt.
”He does not like people in his school wearing anything that says anything about lesbians, gays, or bisexuals,” Barbara Popour said.
Popour’s shirt was not offensive or obscene, unless a person considers the mere word “lesbian” to be offensive and obscene, which is ridiculous. Popour says she returned to school the next day and received a lot of support from her peers, though she says the administrator who disciplined her has been ignoring her. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because being ignored by administrators generally means a student can get away with more.
“Today I wore a shirt that said ‘Keep calm and kiss girls,'” she told Yahoo Parenting.
(Photo: Amazon)
