By: Fane
To: Fredric Rice
Re: Black lipstick

In response to your message about the girl and the black lipstick, here's the
article from ACLU News I received just the other day dated Jan 3, 1997.  ACLU
News is pretty neat and it comes out every couple of days, so I included
instructions on subscribing:

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Girl With Black Lipstick Files Suit

PIKEVILLE, KY -- A 13-year-old girl who had been suspended from school for
wearing black lipstick returned to class clean-lipped Thursday, while her
attorneys went to court to file a lawsuit against the school, the Associated
Press reports.

Karla Chapman, out since Nov. 13, returned to Runyon Elementary School so
that she could be considered a student in good standing and be transferred to
a nearby school that doesn't prohibit black lipstick.

Karla, whose parents told the AP that she tried suicide during her
suspension, said she looked forward to blending in. "I'm happy to know that
whenever I transfer schools, nobody will be on my back about what I wear,''
she said in an interview.

Karla first was suspended for three days but was turned away three more times
when she showed up with the black lipstick.  She later arrived wearing purple
lipstick, but was again turned away, the AP reported.

"Karla is an individual,'' her mother, Connie, told the newswire service.
"She's a good kid. ... She chose to wear this makeup, and it's no biggie.
It's just a trend.''

Karla's lawsuit, written with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Kentucky, says the school's dress code, under which Karla's lipstick was
declared a distraction, is too vague.

The lawsuit seeks a change in the code, punitive damages and medical expenses
incurred after the alleged suicide attempt.

"It's made me realize that I'm not standing up for my rights only, but I am
also standing up for other students' rights whose parents won't do it for
them,''  Karla told AP. "Because there are some parents who really won't
stick up for their kids, and if somebody doesn't, then no one will.''
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