Here's a sample of what you had to say about the decision to exclude senior Clay Edwards from his high school yearbook.
Edwards is Gothic: black clothes, black nails, black eyeliner, black lipstick. The school required senior boys to wear a faux tux for the photos but Clay protested.
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Here's some of what's been shared with KyPost.com already:
These pictures were made at school, at no cost to the student, unless they wanted to purchase them. School pictures and ID cards were also made the day before. In fact, this student is holding one of those pictures from the current year, not the previous year. It's only the composite and senior composite section of the yearbook that will not include him, because of a choice he made. He was not asked to remove his make-up. The story makes it sound like he will not appear anywhere in the yearbook. That is simply untrue. The parent wants the media to make a big deal of this, unfortunately, false and fabricated statements were made to make it more of a "story". All the seniors had to make wardrobe modifications to wear the tux parts and female drape, just like when they wear caps and gowns at graduation. It's no student's daily wear. It's formal. That's the bottom line. He is a great kid. He is more than the make up he wears or this story describes. Please do not post mean-spirited comments about him. He's still just a kid trying to find his way.
Maybe it is for attention, but he still has the right to dress however he pleases. I think to exclude him is wrong. In the grand scheme of things, wearing black lipstick and clothes is nothing compared to what he could be doing. Refusing to allow people who are different to be included is exactly the type of thing that keeps hillbilly-Kentucky stereotypes alive. The mother is right to stand up for her son. Again--if the worst he gets up to is black nail polish then really--is that so bad? No, it's not.
The only reason this kid would dress like that "is" for attention. No matter what he says? If he doesn't want to go along with rules, which seems to be the problem, maybe it’s better that he doesn't have his picture in the year book. Then you have parents standing behind their kids for this type of behavior. No wonder this world is going to the dogs.
He should be allowed to be in the yearbook. His appearance is just him trying to be an individual and expressing himself by his clothes and makeup. He will eventually grow out of this stage and as long as he is a good kid otherwise; I do not see a problem with this. I have to grown kids of my own and have always told them to be individuals and march to their own drum. I thank God that they are great children.
He should be left out of the year book. He must learn at a young age that life is not always the way you want it to be and trying to hide behind his mother's coat tail is not always going to be there thru-out life. He has the right to be a designer but there are rules (written or not) to follow in the school. Years from now, I hope he looks back and see's how stupid he and his mother both have acted. There are too many other things in life right now to worry about, like getting a job. His job hunting success should tell him something about the way he dresses.
This young man is not in a branch of service, George. He is on the brink of celebrating his time served in a closed minded high school. It appears to be a school picture from last year they are holding up in the article...so why should he have to change who he is now? If he had chosen to wear a faux tux all thru high school, can you imagine the grief he would have caught for that? It's a no win situation, for Clay Edwards. If he caves and gives in he loses a part of who he is, if he doesn't he will be known as "NOT PICTURED"...how sad. Our future leaders should be taught to stand up for what they believe in.
Will this young man refuse to wear the uniform of the branch of service he chooses when he goes in the military? What if all the men who fought for the freedom that he has been afforded had chosen each to wear different uniforms? Should we not instill some discipline in the schools where children are taught to learn values, ABC's and our future leaders?
