Was Teenage Boy Punished for Wearing Makeup to School?

A St. Petersburg mom and her partner are petitioning the Pinellas County School District to take tolerance training after she said her son was punished for wearing makeup to school.

Katelynn Martin said her son, 14-year-old Chris Martin, was wearing eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick when he was pulled from his eighth-grade class on the last day of school, June 5. 

She said the school principle, Claud Effiom, "ridiculed and reprimanded Martin for wearing make-up, and ordered him out of class for failing to remove it."

Katelynn Martin is now petitioning the district on MoveOn.org to have Pinellas County faculty take tolerance training. The petition has more than 7,200 signatures. 

According to the petition:

A distressing incident occurred at Meadowlawn Middle School yesterday, when Principal Claud Effiom chose to interpret policy through the lens of his own ignorance, missing an opportunity to teach tolerance by example. My son was penalized for wearing makeup at school by Principal Effiom, who expressed his own belief that boys wearing makeup is ridiculous, unnecessary, and distracting.

My son has endured vicious bullying for the last several years, and unfortunately, he is not the only one. These attacks are terribly damaging to young people, who are already struggling to find their identity. Incidents like the one yesterday only serve to further isolate these kids, who feel abandoned by the educators that are charged with their safety and well-being.

It is unacceptable that these things should be allowed to occur anywhere, but most especially in a community as diverse and accepting as Pinellas County."

According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times, the principal did not comment on the matter but the school district stood by Meadowlawn's principal. 

"There is more to the story," District spokeswoman Melanie Marquez Parra told the Times. "But that would mean sharing confidential student information, which I am not at liberty to discuss."

The petition also aims to "make our schools safe and accepting places for all students. Require tolerance training for all administrators and faculty, encourage gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs in all secondary schools, and sponsor an inclusive curriculum that includes positive images of the LGBTQ community."

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