Frustration was running rampant this December in Pitman High School as rumors surrounding the Winter Formal escalated to a whole new level. The problem at hand was the vague dress code. Within the permission slip was one ambiguous clause stating that students must dress according to the gender they were born into.

      This statement may seem acceptable at a surface level, until transgender students are brought into play. Pitman has always been seen as a very progressive school by students and peers alike.  After all, Pitman does have a GSA club and many students are active participants, but this was all brought into question after this clause was read and reread. Speculation spread quicker than a wildfire around campus.

     Whispers were passed from student to student, the rumors growing bigger every time. Though the initial problem was the dress code, it eventually transformed into the LGBTQ community becoming ostracized completely from formal.

    Though many believed that lesbian and gay couples were not allowed admission to formal as a couple, this was never the case. Lesbian and gay couples, as well as every member of the LGBTQ community at the school, are widely welcomed and accepted by students as well as the staff.

   GSA (Gay Straight Alliance)advisor Mrs. Bettencourt was the first to take action; she never believed the rumor and was also the first to openly dispute the claims. After one frustrated phone call, the rumors were dismantled. Principal Hollars, “GSA’s biggest supporter,” according to Bettencourt, responded immediately with an email stating that the LGBTQ community will be treated with just as much respect as every other student on campus and that no regulations will be passed against them.

   Hollars was very adamant about the fact that no students would be excluded or treated any differently under his watch. After an array of questions regarding the rumors at hand, he proved again and again that he is indeed GSA’s biggest supporter. 

   Though this clause seems misleading, it was a simple misinterpretation on the student body’s part. This clause is not, and never was, aimed toward the transgender community. “They can dress however they want, there’s no problem with that, they’re just like everyone else,” stated Hollards. This clause was aimed at student’s who would show up dressed in costumes to mock or imitate other students. This clause was a preventive measure, a way to further protect all students from feeling different from everyone else.

    Not only has Hollars proved that he is GSA’s biggest supporter; he also proved that he is the entire student body’s biggest supporter. Friendly and welcoming throughout the entire interview, he quickly showed that every student should feel comfortable in his presence as well as on campus.