Students upset as Ontario high school ends crossdressing for Powderpuff game to be ‘sensitive’
Officials at Ontario’s Chaffey High School have decided not to allow the boys pep squad to dress up as cheerleaders this year during the annual powderpuff football game.
“Three Cheers for Evil” is the second episode of season 1 of My Babysitter’s a Vampire
The high school event is part of Backwards Day with the girls playing football, and up until now, the boys on the sideline in full cheer attire cheering them on.
Chaffey Joint Union High School in a statement said in part, “Our school site leaders will always err on the side of protecting our students. While this activity has been a campus tradition, we understand, too, that there are sensitivities on all sides of the issue. This is not, as it has been framed, a ‘ban on cross dressing,’ rather a thoughtful compromise in response to the sensitivities that have been raised by a number of students and staff. ”
Mat Holton, superintendent of Chaffey Joint Union High School District, said “Some felt the activity was hurtful and offensive to some students,”
Students upset over the decision took to social media with the hashtag #yestocrossdress to protest.
Senior Stevie Mendoza has participated in the event in the past and said the boys usually ask the girls to do their makeup and provide them with a wig.
“It’s a gender swap activity, that’s the whole point of it,” she said. “Girls play football, and boys dress up as cheerleaders. It’s just a fun time.”
Mendoza, 17, is the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper and said some LGTBQ students are worried they are going to be blamed for the decision.
“None that I have talked to have been offended by it, they wish for inclusion and want to be treated like everybody else,” she said. Twitter: @letsbeanast
ATTENTION CHAFFEY GIRLS
:
since the boys can’t dress up as girls WE NEED TO STEP UP AND DRESS UP AS GUYS ON THE FRIDAY OF POWDERPUFF (beards, mustache, outfits etc.) PLS RT, LIKE, AND POST ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA. LET’S BLOW THIS UPP!
Chaffey’s principal, George Matamala, met with parents during a monthly coffee with the principal.
Patricia Luna sat in on the meeting and says it was a tough call for Matamala to end the tradition.
“I think our principal is doing this because it’s to protect certain students,” Luna said.
The powderpuff game is Friday at 7 p.m.
This is the wrong decision. It should not be referred to as cross-dressing, it is simply dressing up for a skit, like anyone acting in a skit does.
The fact that the school newspaper editor actually discussed this with LGBT students and found they opposed the decision should decide the issue in favor of keeping the tradition. Instead, certain unidentified students/staff are claiming insult. So half of a small group feels offended by a skit that is not and never has been directed at them, and is understood by everyone else not to be directed at them.
If the principal is dedicated to protecting students, he should help these students understand that not everything is about them, and that other people have the right to express themselves as well.
This skit is a gentle parody of football players and cheerleaders. Not a social indictment.
Show some common sense, represent ALL the students -!including the ones who complained – and reinstate the tradition. Let ALL the kids have some fun.