HARRISON, Mississippi (LifeSiteNews) – Harrison County School District in Mississippi has affirmed that high school students must observe the dress code proper to their biological sex.
In an updated district-wide dress code policy that prohibits those self-identifying as “transgender” from assuming the dress of the opposite sex, Harrison County School District has mandated that “boys and girls must follow the dress attire consistent with their biological sex that is stated in the student’s cumulative folder and permanent record the School District prepared under the guidelines of the Mississippi Department of Education Manual of Directions.”
In the student handbook for grades 7-12 for the academic year 2023-2024, the district specifically stipulates that “Boys must wear shorts or pants, and shirts and footwear according to the dress code of the Harrison County School District.” The handbook also stipulates that, “Girls must wear dresses or skirts or shorts or pants, and shirts or blouses and footwear according to the dress code of the Harrison County School District.”
The school district’s Facebook page announced the changes, stating to parents and students, “As you plan for the new school year, please review the 2023-2024 Secondary (7-12) Student Handbook. Changes have been made to the dress code policy and discipline policy. … As you are reading the handbook, please review the changes on pages 42-61. We are looking forward to a great school year!”
The updated dress code comes on the heels of a controversy in May when Harrison Central High School required a graduating male student who identifies as a girl to observe the dress code for boys instead of allowing him to wear a dress.
In a lawsuit filed by the student in question, the school district’s attorney, Wynn Clark, argued that the dress code form for graduation had been signed by the boy and his mother. That dress code stipulated that boys were required to wear a shirt and tie and men’s shoes, while girls were to wear a white dress and women’s shoes. The school had simply enforced this policy. The judge in the case refused to intervene, allowing the school district’s enforcement of its dress code to stand.
In 2021, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill that prevents male athletes identifying as a girl from competing against girls in female sports. In March 2023, Reeves signed into law a ban on doctors providing “transition” procedures and drugs to minors, including dispensing puberty blockers and performing “sex change” surgeries.
Reeves, who is up for reelection in November, said at the time, “There’s a dangerous movement spreading across America today. … It’s advancing under the guise of a false ideology and pseudoscience being pushed onto our children through radical activists, social media, and online influencers. And it’s trying to convince our children that they are in the wrong body. I stand before you today to sign legislation that puts a stop to this in Mississippi and protects our kids.”
Mississippi is not the only Republican-controlled state to pass laws prohibiting the distribution of puberty blockers and sex “change” surgeries for minors. A breakthrough has been made in 2023 in the fight against LGBT ideology and the grave danger it poses to children. Since January, 14 states have approved laws to ban or limit “gender transitions” for minors, which have exploded in popularity in recent years as gender confusion has surged among youth.
Those states include Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.
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Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are linked to serious and life-threatening side effects, including cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, and fertility problems. Neither type of drug has been approved by the FDA for gender dysphoria or studied in randomized controlled trials or longitudinal studies with gender-confused minors, as LifeSite has reported.
Further, “gender-affirming” surgeries result in permanent mutilation and sterilization, and research shows that people who undergo them have exponentially higher rates of suicide.
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