Are Boobies Coming to a School District Near You?

By Elizabeth Scheinberg

From: http://www.sundiego.com/keep-a-breast-i-love-boobies-bracelet-p-6575.html

Breasts are like the first day of spring - typically the first sign that a daughter has embarked on her journey into womanhood. Maybe that's why women love them so much. Even those who hate their breasts (too big, too small, uneven) love them. Few can imagine life without them. And, perhaps, that's why breast cancer can be so devastating to its survivors. My own family has eluded breast cancer thus far, but a dear friend is in for the fight of her life.

Does the potential of losing your breasts change one's perspective of what we call them? Can those of us who have never experienced this threat make an impartial judgement as to what names are irreverent or obscene? Do you correct your daughter when she and her friends call their breasts "boobies?" Do you correct your son? Should a school district suspend a child for wearing a bracelet that says "I (heart) Boobies. Keep a breast." The debate is getting closer to Delaware with a new lawsuit in PA.

From the News Journal:

Pa. school sued over 'boobies' ban

MARYCLAIRE DALE • Associated Press • November 15, 2010

PHILADELPHIA — A free-speech lawsuit is being filed against a Pennsylvania school district that bans the popular "I (heart) boobies" bracelets.

The American Civil Liberties Union says the Easton Area School District ban violates students' First Amendment rights.

The suit filed Monday says two middle school students received in-school suspensions last month for wearing bracelets that say, "I (Heart) Boobies. Keep a Breast."

School officials call the rubber jewelry distracting and demeaning.

The ACLU says the bracelets are perhaps irreverent, but not indecent.

School districts in Wyoming, Florida and California have run into similar disputes.

The bracelets are sold by a California nonprofit to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer organizations.

Category: 3 comments

3 comments:

Clay Boggess said...: I agree with the ACLU on this one. Students should be protected by the Constitution and be afforded the right to freedom of expression as long as what they are expressing is tactful. With that said, I do think that, with some exceptions, most of the younger students who are wearing these wrist bands are wearing them for reasons other than the underlying message. Like anything else, the novelty will soon wear off.; November 16, 2010 at 8:49 AM
Elizabeth Scheinberg said...: Clay, I tend to think we are missing a teaching moment on this issue.

If it's developmentally typical for children to call breasts by slang terms, should adults be offended by the bracelets at all? Should school districts be legislating what children are comfortable calling their body parts? Does the pontential offense outweigh the message: Save a breast?

I'm less concerned about the kid that wears these bracelets than I am about the one that finds a way to use the bracelets to intentionally demean women and/or violate a code of conduct.

If the adults know that the fad will soon fade, why make a mountain of a molehill?; November 16, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Frederika said...: Not so demeaning, but way distractive in middle school. Everyone calls breasts boobs. Boobies is a pretty childish term.

MS kids just love the idea of wearing 3-4 boobie bracelets on both wrists. They are one-inch wide with big bold letters. How can they afford them?

I doubt if they are really thinking about supporting breast cancer research. Lawsuits seem really over-the-top for rubber bracelets. There are a whole heck of a lot of other more offensive and dangerous issues for the ACLU to pursue--like gay bashing, cyber-bullying, etc.; November 16, 2010 at 9:56 PM