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Lesbian sues over attire for yearbook
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- A Robinson High student who was not allowed to pose for her senior yearbook picture in a jacket and tie filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, claiming the school's actions violated her constitutional rights. Nicole "Nikki" Youngblood, 17, alleges in the suit that the school's dress requirement for yearbook photos is discriminatory. All female students are required to wear a scoop-necked drape and all male students must wear a white shirt, tie and dark jacket. Youngblood, a lesbian, hasn't worn traditionally female clothes in several years. In spring 2001, when she went to be photographed by the studio under contract with the school, she was told she had to wear the drape or get a note from the school allowing her to wear the shirt and tie. School officials refused, saying that the compromise could lead to problems, including boys wanting to wear the drape as a gag. They told Nicole she could pay for her own picture and run it in the back of the yearbook in the advertising section, the suit states. Nicole and her mother, Sonia Youngblood, thought the policy was inappropriate and discriminatory and decided not to pay for their own picture. A formal picture of Nicole does not appear in the yearbook, the suit states. Nicole graduated early in December "due in large part to the discrimination she experienced with regard to her senior portrait, the attitude of the principal and school administrators handling her complaint and the ongoing harassment from other students directed at her," the suit states. Among other things, the suit seeks a monetary award and attorney's fees.
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