The Wesson Attendance Center, an elementary and high school in Wesson, Miss., has refused to publish lesbian Ceara Sturgis’ senior photo in the yearbook because she’s wearing a tux. The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened to sue over the matter but Copiah County School District Superintendent Ricky Clopton has refused to back down.

“We are informed by counsel that this exact issue has been litigated in federal court,” he said in a statement. “The decisions of the federal courts completely support the policy of the district in this regard.”

The ACLU said the school’s action violates Sturgis’ rights to freedom of expression and equal protection under the law.

Sturgis is a member of the National Honor Society, a trumpet player in the band and a goalie on the soccer team.

HUD Launches Gay Projects
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced a series of proposals Oct. 21 to ensure that HUD’s housing programs do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. “The evidence is clear that some are denied the opportunity to make housing choices in our nation based on who they are and that must end,” Donovan said. “President Obama and I are determined that a qualified individual and family will not be denied housing choice based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Following a public-comment period, HUD’s new rules will:

* Clarify that the term “family” as used to describe eligible beneficiaries of the public-housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs includes otherwise-eligible GLBT individuals and couples. 

* Require grantees and those who participate in the department’s programs to comply with local and state nondiscrimination laws that cover sexual orientation or gender identity.

* Specify that any Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgage loan must be based on the creditworthiness of a borrower and not on unrelated factors or characteristics such as sexual orientation or gender identity.

HUD also announced it will commission the first-ever national study of anti-GLBT discrimination in the rental and sale of housing.

“There are state and local studies that have shown this sort of bias,” the agency said. “It is believed that LGBT individuals and families may remain silent (about it) because in many local jurisdictions, they may have little or no legal recourse.”