(UPDATE 11/7/11 4:41AM): The school has reversed the suspension and updated its school dress code policy to allow all students to wear makeup regardless of gender.
Lexington High School Principal Steve Lindsey gave gay 11th grader Kasey Landrum a three day in-school suspension for breaking the dress code. Apparently, Landrum’s purple eye shadow caused “a disruption or interference with normal operation of the school”… or something.
Landrum said his makeup caused no disruptions and that he knows another male student who has worn “punk rock” makeup without any punishment. And while he contends that his friends and teachers have been supportive on the whole, he also told reporters, “Sometimes I wish I was straight” and added that depression over his suspension has kept him home for a few days. The superintendent says that Landrum and his mom can contest the suspension if they want.
Landrum could absolutely use some makeup tips, but you gotta wonder how in the world looking like The Cure could possibly disrupt a lesson on the French Revolution or Krebs Cycles. If any students have disrupted class over Landrum’s makeup, it’d be better to discipline those kids rather than a young guy looking to harmlessly express himself.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
And you gotta wonder how many female students have been suspended for their unruly use of eye shadow.
kylew
I’m kinda with the school on this one. No one is saying the boy cannot express himself, but there’s a time and a place. Comparing his wearing of making to that of the girls is not comparing like with like. Perhaps if one of them cmes to school in extremely skimpy clothing it would produce a similar effect, and all schools have dress codes preventing that.
No-one is condemning the boy for his dress sense, but like it or not, wearing purple eye make to school does cause a distraction.
At a recent karate class I attended, a 16 year old long time student boy trained for a couple of weeks in black eye make up and it did cause titters and distractions, although people were kind of getting used to it by the end of the second week.
It’s not homophobic or prejudiced – just a response to something unusual, and I think that it is somewhat reasonable for the school to want to keep the students’ minds on their work.
Or perhaps the concentration of a few hundred students is a small price to pay for changing gender stereotypes. I don’t know?
David Nichols
it was ten minutes after class so i don’t know how it is a classroom distraction. and it appears as if he was innapropriartely targeted because he is a guy. and seeing as this isn’t the first encounter of the sort. he was removed from stadium because of eye makeup at a football game. i am pretty sure it wont disrupt the athletes.
David Nichols
@kylew: REd Flag: It’s not homophobic or prejudiced – just a response to something unusual, and I think that it is somewhat reasonable for the school to want to keep the students’ minds on their work.
it is only a response to something unusual?
hold the phone. why is it unusual to find a student wearing purple eye makeup?
because he is a guy. so it is discriminatory based of the studnt;s gender.
And who cares if it is a little unusual?
Just because someone is a little different, that shouldn’t be punished.that sounds a little xenophobic if you ask me.
i am not trying to attack what you are saying, in case it is came off
that way
jason
In my view, the boy has a right to wear eye shadow. He isn’t forcing it on anybody else. If the other students feel threatened, it’s their problem, not his.
Those who come down on the school’s side are basically saying that hurt feelings constitute grounds for discrimination. It’s like saying a black person shouldn’t go to an all-white school because some of the whiteys will feel threatened by the black kid.
Stephen
Many goth/emo kids wear make-up. Nothing is said to them. This is a gay issue.
Aki
Somebody needs to teach him how to wear make-up or how to get it off his face . Wear it like that and you look like a clown school reject
Deluno
Why is it unusual? Because it’s not allowed. Why isn’t it allowed? Because it’s unusual.
Let him wear it, and soon enough it won’t be unusual there. Banning self-expression is more harmful than a temporary distraction. I admire his guts.
verybookish
Let him wear it. Yeah, it may distract other kids for a minute, but they’ll get past it. I think a couple minutes of distraction is better than reinforcing gender roles and saying he can’t do this because he’s gay.
Little Kiwi
any comments siding with the school are sucking up to the baseless preconceptions of gender-norms that this fucked-up society is still a slave to.
frankly, those of you who think the school is right are complete idiots. this is as ridiculous as when women were criticized and condemned for wearing slacks, and not dresses or skirts, decades ago
equality doesnt’ mean “equal treatment for those who conform to a bullying society’s limitations”
you don’t punish or censor the kid. you address the baseless source of prejudice that results in his actions being incorrectly perceived as a justified cause to discriminate against him.
phallus
@ Little Kiwi: You address the baseless source of prejudice that results…… Ya like that’s going to happen. No kid anywhere at any time feels that dress codes are just and not discrimintory. And any kid gay, straight, male, female etc who is EVER suspended from school over dress code violations always feel personally picked on. Dress code are inacted and enforced since the beginning of the public, private and religious school systems and change from generation to generation. I too came from the time when girls could not wear pants. This was a part of going to school, preparing us to dress in a manner suitable for the work force.
I do admire the kid for making his statement.
Little Kiwi
unless female students are not allowed to wear makeup they have no case against his boy. what would their argument be? “it’s unusual?” ok. get used to it. there’s a world of people who don’t fit your concepts of “how things should be” – they’re not distracting anyone, people are choosing to allow themselves to be distracted by their own prejudices.
it’s like when people said the film Shortbus was “just for shock value”…..uh…shocking to WHOM? it didnt’ shock me.
~PR~
@Little Kiwi: I loved Shortbus!
Oh, and let him wear what he wants! The school was acting on discrimination based on his gender! LAME!
JayKay
If the school won’t force him to man up and stop painting himself up like a dime store whore, I’m sure a football player or two will.
Little Kiwi
who are you to talk JayKay? Your ass is still Closeted. Man up, indeed. He’s more man than you’ll ever be, or ever get.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
I realize you leftists love to invent your own definitions of words and pretend that they matter, but a real man doesn’t parade around wearing a woman’s clown paint. Sorry to burst the bubble, bro.
Little Kiwi
actually, JayKay, a real man doesn’t care what others think about him. only insecure little boys do. look, we all get it – your dad hated having to call you Son, and you became a leftist-hating insecure self-loathing homosexual because you know you’re an embarrassment to your father.
it’s not this kid’s fault that your father doesn’t love you. we leftists live Out, you hide with both balls in the closet. your life is your loss.
kylew
@Little Kiwi: It’s interesting that you’re making up all this background for JayKay, and generally being rude and obnoxious, whilst you’re the one revealing your insecurities through your hostility. Are you incapable of civil discourse without resorting to aggressive insults? Why do you feel that your loud and proud militant view of homosexuality is the only one that matters?
The issue of gender re-inforcement through dress code is one that occurs in all schools across the country. In case nobody’s noticed, schools are not places for nurturing difference or individuality. They are edifices where conformity is insisted upon for the ease of administration. I’m sure in your anarchic fantasy world, boys would be free to attend wearing thongs and dildos up their asses, and girls could attend topless with their tits painted green, because after all, any distraction is the fault of the distractee, not the distractor?
Little Kiwi
kyle, stick around and you’ll read more anti-black, anti-woman, anti-trans and indeed anti-gay bigotry from JayKay. for real.
” I’m sure in your anarchic fantasy world, boys would be free to attend wearing thongs and dildos up their asses, and girls could attend topless with their tits painted green, because after all, any distraction is the fault of the distractee, not the distractor?”
if you jump from “eyeshadow” to “dildos up asses” then you’re an idiot and you prove me right.
what’s “distracting” about him, other than that it’s less usual? how about girls with short haircuts, or shaved heads? how about a girl wearing men’s jeans?
you don’t get it, thus you prove me right.
“Why do you feel that your loud and proud militant view of homosexuality is the only one that matters?” I don’t, necessarily. I just know cowardly bullshit excuses given by testicle-free wimps when I hear them. And you and JayKay reek.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Oh I’m plenty out…As a gay man. A sane, normal gay man. Not a sad, self-hating, left-wing, vagina worshiping, queer theorist gender warrior fighting to tear down the evil, terrible, no good, very bad, oppressive, white, able bodied, heteronormative, cisgender, patriarchy.
Little Kiwi
like i said, JayKay, it’s not the fault of us lefists, nor of any gender-nonconformists, that your father wishes that you weren’t his Son. Keep repeating your dads bigotry – whatever you need to do to get through life. you’re only making your own life worse, you’re not hurting the rest of us at all.
Michael
Wow hadn’t even heard of this but Im glad the suspension was reversed.This ridiculous archaic thinking has got to stop in this country.People fear what they do not understand anything that makes them remotely uncomfortable or freaked out they act as if it is the end of the world.It’s incredibly ignorant and stupid on these peoples parts period.He is rocking the eye shadow also I must say.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Still equating testicles with strength I see.
Sexist pig.
Little Kiwi
nope. adulthood. your balls haven’t dropped. your’e still a boy living under daddy’s thumb.
keep hating leftists and transpeople and women and gender-nonconformists. at the end of the day, he still wishes you weren’t his Son. and you know it. that’s why you’re so angry.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
You should really try working at a movie theater. You’d make an excellent projector.
Little Kiwi
yeah. says the right-wing anti-trans gay dude. mhmmmm 😉
face it, dude. no matter how much you hate the Left, or black people, or trans people, or gender-nonconformists, your father wishes you weren’t his. that’s your life. you have my pity.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Hold on, I wanna play too…
Since the first thing you jump to is always “your father this, your father that,” I’m guessing yours abandoned you at a very young age. Some unresolved issues there, I think. He left you to be raised by your domineering, feminist shrew of a mother. Growing up she filled your head with liberal dogma, making you ashamed of your own race and gender. Since liberal men, by definition, are weak-willed doormats, you never questioned a word of it. Instead you blindly swore your allegiance to queer theorists, feminists, and sociologists everywhere, in a rather sad attempt to make mommy love you.
Sorry, I don’t often play the “invent a life story for a stranger based on internet postings” game. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not as good as you are.
Little Kiwi
unlike you, i can put my money where my mouth is.
me and my dad:
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.com/2011/04/fathers-message.html
would you like the videos of my father and i marching in the gay pride parades together? i have many 😀
ten bucks says you can’t do this 😀
Little Kiwi
or this one, where my parents talk about supporting the Trans community. You know, those people your dad insists that you hate? Yeah. Them.
http://littlekiwilovesbauhaus.blogspot.com/2011/03/support-for-trans-community.html
kylew
@Little Kiwi: All of which still doesn’t explain why you feel the need to be so unpleasant to everyone with a view that isn’t yours.
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Ah, so he didn’t abandon you, he just contributed to your indoctrination. Somehow that’s even more sad.
Little Kiwi
kyle, learn to discern. it’s not about a “view different from mine” but the specific anti-gay, anti-black, anti-woman, anti-trans, anti-femme bullshit that this coward JayKay spews on a daily basis.
learn to discern.
JayKay, say whatever you want. At the end of the day I go to bed knowing i have the unconditional love and support of my family, and you go to bed knowing that your Dad wishes you weren’t gay. I win.
Little Kiwi
maybe you could provide a link to you and your father discussing his support of you as a gay right-wing guy.
there’s very little visibility to Gay Republicans and their families. Perhaps you and your father can post a discussion about what it means to be gay and Republican on youtube for us all to learn from. whaddya say?
😀
kylew
@Little Kiwi: It’s funny that you preach acceptance ad tolerance when you demonstrate so little of it yourself. It’s funny that you accuse others of insecurity, when you are the one who felt the need to conclude half of your comments with an insult or the words “you prove me right”.
We all like to win and be right – some of us doing it by trying to build the tallest towers. Others, such as you, achieve it by ripping everyone else’s towers down. It’s not constructive at all.
If every word we speak says something about us, you might consider what your words say about you…
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Bro, anyone who spends this much time fantasizing about the private lives of anonymous strangers and copy/pasting the same liberal rhetoric all over the internet to make sure everyone hears his super important opinion isn’t really winning at anything.
Michael
@JayKay:
My apologies for interjecting but what exactly is a queer theorist? Never heard of that term before so I was curious.
Little Kiwi
again, “kyle”, learn to discern – you cannot ask someone to tolerate the intolerance of the KKK. the specificities of JayKay’s prejudices are no different. learn. to. discern.
JayKay, prove me wrong. make a video with your father. after all, my queer femmy leftist self did 😀 i’m sure hed have no problem being on the internet with his gay son talking about how proud he is of you. right?
😉
Michael
@kylew:
This comes from a user who spoke ill of my father who passed away in July.This user claimed my father was ashamed of me if thats not heartless I do not know what is.Just my opinion I have nothing to do with this individual anymore thankfully and its far more peaceful that way I might add.
Little Kiwi
@Michael: how about you get back to doing what you do best: insisting that Barack Obama is a Muslim and then spending 7 hours copying and pasting the same hilariously stupid comments on my youtube page again.
or calling your “boyfriend” whom you never met. and never will meet. 😀
JayKay
@Little Kiwi:
Considering the unhealthy levels of obsession you have with me, I think I’ll stick with the anonymity. I’d rather not have my skin turned into a sundress.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
You continue to be a vile individual I truly feel for your parents.They did not teach you anything especially how to be a decent human being.Funny how OBSESSED YOU are btw I do not talk to you now I was not even talking to you then only referring to you and agreeing with another user here about the way YOU act and the way you treat people.Still no humility or a decent bone in your body I absolutely pity you and always will.Enjoy your pedestal eventually you will be alone up there as you deserve to be.
Anyone to claim that someones DEAD father is ashamed of them and not have one ounce of remorse or apologetic attitude is the lowest of the low.Suits you perfectly.
Little Kiwi
end up alone? you mean like you? with only “cyber friends” and a boyfriend i’ve never met? unlikely 😉
how well is your way working for you so far? my life rocks 😀
and JayKay, prove me wrong. make a vid with your dad. i did 😀 in fact, i made several 😀
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
You have been flagged once again as well.You have ALREADY been warned on this site and I know you have yet you continue to tow the line and PUSH more and more.Don’t say I didn’t tell you so when you lose your account here because if you continue that is inevitable period.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
You’re disgusting plain and simple.You have the mentality and maturity of an arrogant child period.Flagged again.
Little Kiwi
really? you’re the one who jumped in, sugarpie. you can’t kick the hornet’s nest and cry victim when you get stung.
by all means, if JayKay can spout his anti-trans, anti-black, anti-femme, anti-woman and anti-gay hatred then i will indeed call it out.
and if you’re gonna be a dunce and join in because you have an obsessive grudge against me, then bring it.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
Yawns.Flagged again all you ever want is a childish fight like the idiot you continue to prove yourself to be.As I said enjoy your arrogance child thats all you will ever have that makes YOU special.That is nothing to be proud of either nor are you anything to be proud of.Your actions are continuous proof of this especially the way you treat people.Just because fragile ego you was born with a silver spoon in his mouth does not give you the right to talk down to people and treat them as LESS then YOU are.You’re the epitomy of pathetic period.I didn’t jump either moron I interjected and expressed my opinion and a personal observation of how YOU treat EVERYONE here.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
Pathetic lie also moron as usual you think my life revolves around pitiful egotistical YOU.It doesn’t I havent even been on this site for a long time now yet here you are stupidly bringing up stuff that happened MONTHS ago.Talk about someone who can not let the past go.YOU are the one with the grudge simpleton not me.You are not even on my radar you never were.Hope that does not crush your pathetic ego knowing not everyone falls at your feet and worships you as you foolishly believe .
Little Kiwi
“Talk about someone who can not let the past go.YOU are the one with the grudge simpleton not me.You are not even on my radar you never were.Hope that does not crush your pathetic ego knowing not everyone falls at your feet and worships you as you foolishly believe .”
And yet here you are, talking about me (repeatedly) and lying about a comment that you claim I made months ago.
thanks.
Stephen
@Little Kiwi: Thanks for those links to your blog. You have a beautiful family!
Max the Communist
Jeezsh! Is it Junior High on this thread, or is it just me?
Somebody should put eyeshadow on all your damn faces while you sleep.
ScaryRussianHeather
“Or perhaps the concentration of a few hundred students is a small price to pay for changing gender stereotypes. I don’t know?”
In a nutshell this comment embodies everything that is wrong in the LGBT community. Go along to get along is a losing strategy. They don’t like you any more for shutting up, hiding, and being scared sheep.
If you can’t stick up for a kid’s right to simple equality about stupid eye makeup, whether he’s gay or straight, how in god’s name do we expect any true change in society (not just random lip service).
Thank god for Drag Queens and their courage. Long term closeted men like NPH and other cowards has advanced society exactly ZERO degrees. Kinda just like secretive message board posters who don’t even have the courage to type their real legal names in public.
Michael
@Max the Communist:
Oh shut up already that user Kiwi mocked the death of my father you idiot.I have every goddamn right to stand up for myself so get over it.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
You’re pathetic LIAR especially you once again acting as if your pathetic ass is ALWAYS innocent and pristine.Your parents really did fail you they did not teach you anything when it came to respecting people and treating them like HUMAN BEINGS.All you ever do is treat people as less then you are little boy and you continue to bullshit about me obsessing over you WHEN YOU are obsessing over ME.Otherwise you would not be stupid enough to bring up incidents that happened MONTHS ago duh.
You told me my father should be so proud of me months ago in a cruel heartless and condescending manner.You not only lack class you also lack morals ethics heart humanity and the ability to discern between right and wrong.You ARE a sociopath and your words have proven this many times no matter how much you deny it.My father died in the hospital it was the most painful moment in my life and you took glee in it being dumb enough to make it seem as if my father would be ashamed of me and the person I am.Nope he wouldn’t be my father taught me to stand up to pathetic arrogant hypocrites like YOU kid and I always will.Look in the dictionary and look up the word bully your face should be right beside it because YOU are the perfect example of one.For you to even have the nerve to post on threads about bullying is as low as you can possibly get.Hard to claim you are against bullying when your idiotic ass IS one to begin with.You have nothing to be proud of all you have is your superiority complex and ego and the mentality and maturity of a child.
Michael
@Little Kiwi:
You get off on mocking people and their lives its like a drug to you and you know it is.You get a high off of treating people like shit like they are beneath you both intellectually and socially. Karma always comes to those who deserve it and your comments about my father I can only hope you get the karma YOU deserve in due time.Now I am done I have said my peace you repulse me and I despise even associating with people like you.Unlike you I am someone with actual integrity so I can admit I made mistakes plenty of them especially running into someone as low class and low caliber as YOU are and conversing and associating with someone like you in the first place.It will not happen again you can be rest assured of that.You are a hypocritical LIAR and always will be that.Enjoy your false innocence it is definitely not TRUE by any means.I hope for your parents sake they eventually teach you how to be a decent human being so far they have not succeeded in that area.
Daniel
I totally know that kid and it was really popular topic around home but I never thought that it would gain so much media attention. Besides no one would have said anything if it weren’t so ostentatious.
CBRad
Just my opinion : I think he looks kinda cool with that eyeshadow. Kinda uniquely gothy or something.
zingwah
@kylew: @kylew, It’s time for people to learn that makeup in itself shouldn’t be considered a distraction. If they can learn 4 years of math class, then can learn to tune out a gay guy with eye shadow on. The only people who would be distracted to the point they couldn’t study, would likely be homophobic bullies. Instead it’s time to teach people to accept others who are different. There is no reason to mention a time and place for makeup, when it’s MAKEUP in general. Now if a girl purposely comes to school with a slutty thong, as if she were walking on the beach and did some other distracting things, then YES, she is doing that on purpose since she could simply stick to makeup. But she should not be banned for simply wearing makup, or because she may be bad at putting it on. Same thing goes for a guy. Lots of guys wear makeup in this world, or have little tatoos etc. Again, a bit of eye shadow should let people know he’s probably gay and so what is the big deal? If THAT is considered distracting, then the students have a focus problem.
Makeup never should cause a disruption, even if worn by a guy. If there is a disruption, the disruption should be considered to be by the PERSON who is creating the disruption about the makeup. If the principle simply suspended the person initiating the disruption, the next student who had issues and thought creating a disruption was the answer, would think twice. Instead the principle was teaching students that they can get rid of gay people or even just guys who like makeup by causing a ruckuss, and then that is OK. It’s not OK. Also the fact that school reversed its decision should tell you something. It should tell you that had the school been right all along, it wouldn’t be here reversing its decision. Again, some people need to learn to accept that some people are going to be different, learn to concentrate and go back to their studies knowing it doesn’t matter in the least.