A high school in Pennsylvania says it was within its rights to toss out a student from prom because she chose to wear a tuxedo rather than a dress. Aniya Wolf told WHTM-TV that authorities at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg made her feel like “a mistake” for her decision to forgo a dress to the prom. The school, however, says Wolf failed to follow a clear dress code for the prom that was laid out months in advance. “The dress code for the prom specified girls must wear formal dresses,” the school said in a statement. “It also stated that students who failed to follow the dress code would not be admitted.”
No one was surprised by Wolf’s decision to not wear a dress to the prom, least of all her family. Wolf, who is a lesbian, says she wore shirts and pants to school throughout her three years at Bishop McDevitt. “I’ve just always been like this, ever since I was little,” Wolf said. “I was always more masculine.” Then at the last minute, the Wolf family claims the school sent out an email saying girls had to wear dresses to prom. Wolf’s mom, Carolyn Wolf, called the school to complain. In the end, Aniya decided to go anyway and was quickly escorted out by a school official who even threatened to call the police if she didn’t leave.
Bishop McDevitt says it isn’t true that the dress code was decided last minute. “The full dress code policy was sent to parents about three months ago,” the school claims. When school authorities heard a girl was planning to wear a tux to prom, they talked to her mom in the hopes of getting her to change her mind. That was obviously unsuccessful, but worry not because “Bishop McDevitt will continue to practice acceptance and love for all of our students”
