Parents petition after principal criticizes their son’s makeup
By Lauren Carroll, Times Staff Writer
Chris Martin wears black eyeliner and eyeshadow, just as he did on his last day of eighth grade.
ST. PETERSBURG — After years of struggling to feel comfortable in his own skin, Chris Martin — who chooses not to label his sexual orientation — decided to wear black eyeliner, eyeshadow and lipstick on the 14-year-old’s last day in the eighth grade.
But as soon as he got to Meadowlawn Middle School on Wednesday, administrators told Martin he was violating the dress code. They wanted him to change his shirt and wipe off the makeup.
The two women who raised Martin said they understand why the shirt’s image — an anarchy symbol and sheath — was against the dress code. But the parents said the modest makeup was no different than what girls wear everyday.
The principal’s negative reaction to a boy wearing makeup prompted them to start a petition urging the Pinellas County School District to improve tolerance in the classroom. “When I asked what was wrong with his makeup,” said his mother, Jamie Himes, “the face the principal gave me made my blood boil.”
The Tampa Bay Times tried to reach Meadowlawn principal Claud Effiom for comment. District spokeswoman Melanie Marquez Parra responded for the school district and said that the family’s narrative is incomplete.
“There is more to the story,” Parra wrote in an email. “But that would mean sharing confidential student information, which I am not at liberty to discuss.”
After receiving an upset phone call from their son on Wednesday, Himes and her partner Katelynn Martin said they met Effiom in the front office. They ceded that the shirt was inappropriate, but they asked why was makeup against the dress code? They said makeup is not even mentioned in the school handbook.
Martin said that the principal told them that it was “distracting” and “completely ridiculous and unnecessary for boys to wear make up” in front of other parents, staff and students.
“It was kind of shocking,” said Katelynn Martin. “I can’t believe in this day and age that someone would think this was that big of an issue.”
The family then contacted the district superintendent’s office. Hours later, the district said it backed the principal’s decision.
The parents said this is not the first time their son’s sexual identity has caused him turmoil at the school. Other kids have beaten him up, teased him and destroyed his belongings, they said, while the school’s response has always been lukewarm.
Wednesday was the tipping point. The family launched a petition on moveon.org asking the district to improve tolerance training for all teachers and administrators and encourage schools to teach LGBT history and host Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. By Friday, it had more than 225 signatures.
“Schools need to be a safe place, and students need to know they won’t encounter intolerance there,” Himes said. “It’s not about our son anymore, it’s about intolerance.”
Chris Martin, who spoke through his parents but declined to talk directly to a reporter, said he supports the petition.
Lauren Carroll can be reached at (727) 893-8913, lcarroll@tampabay.com or @LaurenFCarroll on Twitter.
She needs to ask the principal what’s wrong with her son wearing makeup??? Dumb much? And she has started a petition, who exactly, outside of her immediate family, is supporting said petition?
cindy gayful america.. but she seh har son always a get bullied and beaten up..and how school response has been lukewarm..why she nuh change di school den?
And maybe him wearing makeup is the reason he’s getting bullied & beaten. She ever think about that? As long as schools exist dem always have rules which children need to follow, y dem fi bend fi dis child? Dem fi home school him den an stop impose dem foolishness pan odda ppl pickney. kmt
I would like to ask those gay men that dress like women if they do not think they look strange? It is not as if he naturally looks the way he does and they teased him. Makeup is not a part of him and he is a boy trying to look like a girl so it is strange to children and they will tease him and laugh..Mi nah seh it right but they do not see the wrong they do
Ok, you’re gay, if ah dat you waan do, hey, but why di need fi make-up? If mi did have a girl, me wouldn’t even want me 14 y/o girl child fi ah wear make-up go ah school! Weh all dis petition & reporter & coverage fah! Pickney ah get molested, killed, ah go hungry every day & DIS is news???? : kiss mi teeth:
And unnu catch serh di mumma gay too???? Di apple never fall far from di tree…………
Simple, take him outta dat school and send him to one that is for ‘spreshal’ ppl. Cause as long as him is a guy wearing make up, it certainly going to cause distraction an maybe get him some ass whooping as well.
Dem too much! Why school muss ben di rule fi dem?
tolerance
Tolerance? Me wudda like dem ppl yah tolerate seh mi nuh wah NO MAN a wear no makeup roun my son. Tolerate dat an mi will gi dem tolerance, mess wid dat an a str8 mayhem mi a gi dem. kmt
cindy mi sick a dem and dis tolerance ting
Exactly Cindy…… Makeup is known to be a woman ting, nuh fi man
A dem tings yah mi dread mi yute dem a guh go a school & be expose to,…. Weh di hol heap a excitement bout petition fah… Obviously it is not the norm for a boy to wear makeup so weh di rass dem expect di principal fi duh… KMFT if a mi like di principal mi tell dem some clat…Di mooma have a nerve
so let me get this right his parents are two women…..LESBIAN’S…..fu*kin kid is confused! In any case school is no place for this bullsh*t, why would he believe he would get positive feedback from strange abnormal behavior.
quena u si why I dont believe same sex fi really adopt…
dem she di young man was confused about what he was…I am wondering if God nah really come dis is too much