Nail art is experiencing a serious renaissance. If you cruise Instagram and TikTok, you'll see some truly impressive looks that are serious works of art.
You'll also see that nail polish isn't just for girls anymore. People across the gender spectrum love a good manicure, and there's nothing wrong with that.
One Texas high school disagrees with that assessment, however. A Clyde High School senior boy was suspended from school for wearing nail polish. Senior Trevor Wilkinson was told he can't return to class until he loses the manicured nails, he told KTAB.
Naturally, there are no rules against Trevor's female peers wearing nail polish. He recognized that double standard and decided to fight back. He's gotten over 70,000 signatures on an online petition to make it so all students are allowed to wear nail polish.
Trevor Wilkinson is fighting back against a double standard in his school's dress code policy. Trevor, a senior at Clyde High School in Clyde, Texas, was suspended from school for wearing nail polish to class. Trevor, a gay man, says he was told he cannot return to the classroom until he stops wearing nail polish.
Trevor was deeply upset to discover the school's dress code said that while female students are allowed painted nails and makeup, male students are barred from either. He calls the policy "hurtful and not okay." He is currently on in-school suspension (ISS) and will remain there until he complies.
Trevor started a Change.org petition to change the policy.
"I got ISS (in school suspension) for having my nails painted. I was told that I will continue to get ISS until I take them off. It's a complete double standard because girls are allowed to paint and get their nails done," he wrote.
"Not only that, but freedom of expression is validation enough that the dress code and policy is not okay. I am a gay male and I'm beyond proud. This is unjust and not okay."
"Help me show that it is okay to express yourself and that the identity that society wants to normalize is not okay," he continued.
"I am a human. I am valid. I should not get in trouble for having my nails done. Sign and share this so people like me don't have to ever deal with this again. It's time for a change and that time is now."
It's been a few days, and the school has not budged in the slightest. Despite the fact that Trevor has over 70,000 signatures on his petition, the school is standing its ground and keeping him in ISS.
"The District conducts a diligent and thoughtful review of the dress code on an annual basis. That review process results in the development of a final dress code that is consistently implemented and enforced during the next school year," the school district said in a statement.
"Parents and students are provided a copy of the dress code prior to the start of each new school year. Questions or concerns with the dress code are reviewed individually, and the District cannot share any information regarding a specific student," the statement continued.
"The District appreciates the feedback and input on this issue received from members of the community, and will take this into consideration when it conducts its annual review later this school year."
Trevor has gotten the support of a local LGBTQ+ group, Abilene Pride Alliance. The group shared an open letter to the school district.
"I am writing to you today on behalf of the Abilene Pride Alliance, an LGBTQIA organization dedicated to the protection and advancement of all people in the LGBTQIA+ family," a representative for the group wrote.
"It has come to our attention that your school district is maintaining and choosing to enforce a policy that in itself discriminates based on gender. Specifically, you have chosen to punish a male student for wearing nail polish to school."
"We are hopeful that the intent of this action was not to be directly discriminatory. But unfortunately, the outcome is that this policy and its enforcement have discriminated against this child and possibly more before him," the letter continued.
"It is our hope that we can work with Clyde CISD to immediately rectify this situation the student is currently in and ensure that going forward, the school district follows TASB recommendations to dissolve policies that treat students differently based on sex expression.
"We are asking for this discriminatory policy to immediately be addressed at your next school board meeting and that the child in question be released from suspension with an official apology from the School District."
Trevor is grateful for the support he's gotten. He thanked everyone for their support in an update shared on Instagram:
"Thank you everyone for your support. I cannot express that enough and I could not have gotten this far without you guys! I know a lot of you have called and emailed my school board – flooding their voicemails and inboxes. Thank you for standing alongside me to create change so that students like me can express ourselves in authentic ways in school and focus on our studies rather. As well as ending the gender norms that society has oppressed on us."
"Please continue to call and email but for those of you who want to challenge dangerous gender stereotypes you can join me in painting your nails and rocking them all over Texas and the country. Paint your nails and put #TeamTrevor !!@equalitytexas @aclutx @abi.pride #TeamTrevor #Equality #NailsRock," he urged.
Trevor has a lot of support in his fight to make the change. Hopefully, the policy will be reversed and allow Trevor to get back to enjoying his senior year.
