A girl barred from prom because she doesn’t wear a dress is causing a lot of controversy for the William Penn Senior High School’s event in Pennsylvania. Aniya Wolf is not transgender, and says she is a lesbian who would rather wear a tuxedo.
Brandon Carter, principal at William Penn, said social studies teacher Maggie Mafnas brought him the idea of inviting Bishop McDevitt High School student Aniya Wolf to the prom at the York school, The Rakyat Post reported. The girl barred from prom is upset because she defied a last-minute email saying females must wear dresses. She wore a suit.
“I was always more masculine. You wouldn’t catch me playing with any Barbie dolls I’ll tell you that right now,” the girl barred from prom said. But the school said the dress code, including that girls must wear dresses, was sent out months ago.
Carter said that when Mafnas asked if William Penn could invite Wolf, he said absolutely. It’s a great gesture, he said, and shows what William Penn is all about, ABC News reported.
“We do embrace all,” he said. Mafnas said that when she saw a news report about Aniya, she couldn’t believe it. “We’ve had many students that have worn whatever they felt comfortable in … it was just never an issue,” she said.
Aniya Wolf’s family was disappointed, and the mother called the school. “I told her that I had read the dress code that was given to the students and I didn’t think that it precluded her from wearing a suit. I said that this was very unfair particularly at the last minute. We had gone out and bought a new suit. I think my daughter is beautiful in a suit.”
Mafnas said she spoke to Aniya Monday evening and she accepted the invitation. Mafnas said it’s a good opportunity to show students that if they see someone being excluded and can do something about it, they should. “They’re really excited about it,” she said.
The Sun Gazette said many schools have set up dress codes to deter students from wearing dresses that are too revealing. Wolf says, “I’m not saying that all of them are this way, but they do show a lot of skin. I think I’m dressed pretty modestly.”
Wolf says she has always felt very accepted by her classmates. But she told a Pennsylvania television station school officials made her feel “like a mistake.”
