A teenage high school student is calling for change after he was suspended for wearing nail polish - an action he believes is unfair.
Trevor Wilkinson is currently a senior at Clyde High School in Texas, but on Monday (November 30), he was removed from his class allegedly because he was wearing nail polish - something that Trevor says female students are allowed to do without consequence.
Now, in an attempt to push back against the school's rules, Trevor has started a Change.org petition calling for the school to "allow males to wear nail polish" - a cause that 31,000+ people agree with.
More on Trevor's story in the video below:Writing on the online petition site, Trevor - who describes himself as "a gay male and beyond proud" - said: "Today, I got ISS (in-school suspension) for having my nails painted.
"I was told that I will continue to get ISS until I take them off."
The teen then called the school's rules "a complete double standard" due to the fact that female students "are allowed to paint and get their nails done".
Wilkinson adds that "freedom of expression is validation enough that the dress code and policy is not okay."
Calling for support over the school's "unjust" policy, Trevor concludes the post by writing:
"Help me show that it is okay to express yourself and that the identity that society wants to normalize is not okay.
"I am a human. I am valid. I should not get in trouble for having my nails done. Sign and share this so people like me don’t have to ever deal with this again.
"It’s time for a change and that time is now."
After receiving tens of thousands of signatures, Trevor then provided an update on his situation, revealing that he is still currently in ISS, and claims that the school has told him that he either has to complete his work online or remain in ISS until the nail polish is removed.
"Keep signing so I can show these close-minded people that discrimination is not okay, and should not be tolerated. Thank yall so much for the support, it means the world and I REFUSE to back down," he adds.
Per KTAB, Among those supporting Trevor is the Abilene Pride Alliance, who has written a letter to the school on the student's behalf
They stated: "We are hopeful that the intent of this action was not to be directly discriminatory. But unfortunately, the outcome is that this policy and its enforcement have discriminated against this child and possibly more before him."
The Abilene Pride Alliance called for Trevor to not only be released from ISS, but also provide the teenager with an apology.
"We will have no option but to defend this student and any LGBTQIA students that happen to find themselves being discriminated against," the letter adds.
As reported by TooFab, in response to the backlash, Clyde CISD has issued the following statement: "The District conducts a diligent and thoughtful review of the dress code on an annual basis. That review process results in the development of a final dress code that is consistently implemented and enforced during the next school year.
"Parents and students are provided a copy of the dress code prior to the start of each new school year.
"Questions or concerns with the dress code are reviewed individually, and the District cannot share any information regarding a specific student. The District appreciates the feedback and input on this issue received from members of the community, and will take this into consideration when it conducts its annual review later this school year."