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Transgender student misses graduation after Mississippi judge backs dress code

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Transgender student misses graduation after Mississippi judge backs dress code


A transgender senior in Mississippi opted to skip high school graduation Saturday when the district refused to allow any deviations from the gender-based dress code.

The student, referred to in court documents as LB, was required to dress in “socks, dress shoes, pants, a button down shirt and tie” which is Harris County School District’s dress code for male graduates. In an attempt to earn more leeway in choosing a graduation outfit, LB sued Harris Central High School Principal Kelly Fuller, the Harrison County School Board, Harrison County School District, and Superintendent Mitchell King.

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U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel upheld the dress code in a ruling Friday. McNeel is a Trump-appointed judge who oversaw the first hearing on Thursday and expedited the entire process in order to rule in time for the ceremony on the weekend.

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“The loss of an opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony is not an unconstitutional infringement on a student’s right to freely exercise his religious beliefs. A student’s interest in attending a graduation ceremony is ‘a social occasion in which students and their families and friends gather to mark an event.’ It is not ‘an important benefit’ the State confers,” Harris County School District attorney Wynn Clark wrote, quoting Smith v. North Babylon Union Free School District.

Clark also referred to the student with he/him pronouns in the opposition brief, unless the brief was directly quoting the complaint written by the student’s attorneys.

This student, meanwhile was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union who wrote on Twitter that the “decision to uphold the school district’s explicit discrimination” was “deeply disappointing and concerning.”

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“Our client should be focused on celebrating this life milestone alongside her friends and loved ones. Instead, this ruling casts shame and humiliation on a day that should be focused on joy and pride,” the ACLU Twitter thread read. “All Mississippi students should have the right and autonomy to be who they are—not who judges and school officials think they should be.”

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Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) signed legislation in February that banned minors from accessing gender transition surgeries and hormone therapy after the bill passed the Republican-controlled state Senate.





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Four reactions from Mississippi State football practice: Receiving room ready to show improvement

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Four reactions from Mississippi State football practice: Receiving room ready to show improvement


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STARKVILLE — Close to a week ago, Mississippi State football wide receiver Jordan Mosley saw the name of a group text that he and other receivers had and didn’t like the ring to it.

Mosley consulted with MSU wide receivers Kelly Akharaiyi, Kevin Coleman, and others after listening to a group called Concrete Boys, which rapper Lil Yachty donned. He figured that name might be related to their wide receiver room. Mosley brought it up around the group, and thus, the name stuck: the “Concrete Boys.”

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“We think we’re the hardest group in the nation,” said Mosley on Friday, who wouldn’t say what the name of the previous group text was. “We all think we’re good, and I think that’s the best part of our team. I think we have a very competitive team. Everybody feels like they’re the best in their position.”

Receiving room looks to improve from bad year in 2023

When Mosely was asked his thoughts on the 2023 season, he didn’t remember how many wins or losses the Bulldogs had. He just knew it wasn’t enough wins for the standard he and his team wanted.

“I think we had a good room last year, but I think we were missing that (competitive) component,” he said.

Last season, MSU ranked second to last in the SEC with 2,182 receiving yards and last with 15 receiving touchdowns.

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During preseason practices, Mosley said stiff competition within the group is a clear advantage because it forces each receiver to work for a starting spot.

MORE JEFF LEBBY: What Jeff Lebby said about first Mississippi State football practice and wants Bulldogs to do more

“We have a lot of guys who can play for effect,” he said. “… But having that competitive spirit just helps a lot more. It makes us good. It makes us who we are.”

Blake Shapen confident in MSU, Jeff Lebby offense

Blake Shapen points to a unique area he’s experienced here in Starkville with Jeff Lebby, which is being pushed to a limit he hasn’t had before.

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“There’s an expectation level, and if you don’t reach it, obviously you need to figure out a way to reach it,” Shapen said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I haven’t had in the past is to be pushed like I’m being pushed right now up to a level that I need to get to. I’m very blessed to have that’s what I need right now. In my career.”

With skillful transfers and a good young core on offense, Shapen said he likes where the teams currently at but can see it reaching highs outside of MSU being picked to finish 15th in the SEC.

“We don’t sit there and look at that all day, but we’ve all seen it,” he said. “… We brought in some transfers have young guys that have come in and had a big impact on our receiver core. They want to get better every single day.”

Seydou Traore hopes to make impact in first eligible season at MSU

Tight end Seydou Traore was forced to sit out the 2023 season due to NCAA transfer rules and is looking to make an immediate impact.

“I mean, I just want to get the ball in my hands. I want to make plays, and I want to score. I mean, anyway that we have to do that, I’m open to it and I’m excited about it.”

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A potential battle between him and Justin Bell is set to take place, which adds to the depth at the tight end position with Justin’s brother Cameron, along with Nick Lauderdale and Sam Paxton.

“We’ve had a lot of transfers come in, and I’ve been a transfer before, so I know how it is,” said Traore, who transferred from Arkansas State. “It’s really competitive. Everyone wants a starting spot, and everyone wants to play. When you have that iron sharpens iron.”

Offensive lineman off-field bond aims to replicate on field

Senior Ethan Miner said he’s been at a few football programs that don’t accept new transfers. But when Miner and others arrived at MSU, he said it was an experience he’d rarely felt.

“They were very accepting of us,” he said. “I’ve been at places where your transfer in guys don’t like you because it’s a threat. I mean, it’s a threat to come in to compete for a spot, and (here) that wasn’t the case at all.”

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DAY 1 PRACTICES: What Jeff Lebby said of Mississippi State football transfers Blake Shapen, Kevin Coleman

It was also shocking for Miner to suit up alongside linemen with a bigger frame than him.

“Coming from (Group of 5) schools where I was one of the biggest guys definitely feels nice having somebody 6-5 next to me and 320 (pounds),” Miner quipped. “So I’m very confident.”

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.





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Ole Miss Schedule Preview: Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

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Ole Miss Schedule Preview: Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs


The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels’ schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year’s team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It’s this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next few days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels’ 2024 regular season opponents. We last looked at the Florida Gators, and today, we analyze the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

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Mississippi State Bulldogs

After a lackluster year in 2023, Mississippi State added a new layer of intrigue to the annual Egg Bowl with its hiring of Jeff Lebby as head coach this offseason.

Lebby served as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss for the first two years of Lane Kiffin’s regime, and after spending time in the same position at his alma mater, he has taken on his first big-time head coaching job. He has some work to do in Starkville to turn things around.

Newcomers galore are expected to make an impact for the Bulldogs this season, beginning with transfer quarterback Blake Shapen. Shapen spent the last three years at Baylor, throwing for over 2,000 yards the last two seasons and boasting a career total of 36 passing touchdowns. Lebby is known for his offensive prowess, and he will try to mold Shapen into the program’s spark plug under center.

State also added running back Davon Booth to the backfield from Utah State. He rushed for over 800 yards and six scores a season ago, and he will look to replace leading rusher Woody Marks for the Bulldogs.

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Much of Mississippi State’s wide receiver production will also be new in 2024 after the additions of Kelly Akharaiyi (UTEP) and Kevin Coleman (Louisville) from the transfer portal. Akharaiyi could be a nice addition in Lebby’s scheme after posting over 1,000 yards receiving last season.

On defense, Stone Blanton is one of the bigger additions for the Bulldogs after tallying 52 total tackles last season with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

On paper, Ole Miss appears to be the better team in this year’s Egg Bowl, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that this game can get weird in a hurry. The Rebels will look to win their second straight game in this series and their fourth in the last five years when the Bulldogs come to town.

Kickoff in this game is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Black Friday (Nov. 29), and it will be televised on ABC.



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Mississippi’s Addie Carver wins controversy-hit Miss Teen USA pageant | CNN

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Mississippi’s Addie Carver wins controversy-hit Miss Teen USA pageant | CNN




CNN
 — 

Addie Carver of Mississippi was named Miss Teen USA on Thursday, assuming a title that has stood vacant since the previous winner’s highly controversial resignation in May.

The 17-year-old dance teacher, cheerleader and choreographer was crowned at a glitzy Los Angeles event that organizers hope will draw a line under a tumultuous three months for the contest and its companion event, Miss USA.

Prior to accepting the tiara, Carver had told judges of her earlier mental health struggles, adding: “As the next Miss Teen USA I want to make it my mission to know that every little girl who is just like me once is never alone.” Georgia’s Ava Colindres and Arizona’s Rachael Mclaen were named first and second runners-up.

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The finale featured no explicit references to this year’s shock double resignation, which saw 2023’s Miss USA and Miss Teen USA — Utah’s Noelia Voigt and New Jersey’s UmaSofia Srivastava, respectively — become the first winners of either contest to ever renege their crowns. Voigt initially cited mental health reasons, though various criticisms of organizers later emerged, while Srivastava attributed her decision to a clash in “personal values” with the Miss USA organization.

The controversy heralded one significant change to Thursday’s proceedings: Breaking with years of tradition, Carver was presented with her tiara not by last year’s winner but by Hawaii’s Savannah Gankiewicz, who inherited the Miss USA crown following Voigt’s resignation.

Year of scandal

The Miss USA organization, which operates both pageants, was thrown into disarray when Voigt stepped down in May.

Although Voigt did not provide further details at the time, internet commenters spotted that the first letter in each sentence of her cryptic Instagram post, which announced her resignation, spelled “I am silenced,” sparking rumors that a non-disclosure agreement may have kept her from elaborating.

Her resignation letter, later obtained by CNN, contained a litany of complaints against organizers. In it, she alleged delays in receiving prizes and a “toxic work environment” that “at best, is poor management and, at worst, is bullying and harassment.” She also claimed to have been sexually harassed during a public appearance due the organization’s failure to provide an “effective handler.”

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Days later, Carver’s predecessor, Srivastava, followed suit, giving up the Miss Teen USA title saying that her personal values “no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.” She has not publicly commented further, though her mother, Barbara Srivastava, appeared on Good Morning America saying both beauty queens had been “ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered,” and that “the job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare.”

Organizers and the pageants’ parent company, the Miss Universe Organization, did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment at the time of the double resignation. Miss USA president Laylah Rose released a statement at the end of May, reported by the Los Angeles Times, refuting Voigt’s allegations.

Unlike in Miss USA, the teen competition’s first runner-up, Stephanie Skinner, declined to take on the title, which instead remained vacant.

Open to applicants aged 14 to 19, the annual Miss Teen USA contest celebrates “beauty, brains and confidence,” according to its official website. The preliminary contest on Wednesday evening saw all 51 participants take part in evening gown and activewear rounds (the latter replaced the controversial swimsuit category in 2016).

Thursday’s final, hosted by Rachel Lindsay of “The Bachelorette” and Justin Sylvester of E! News, began with the announcement of the top 20, who then participated in another activewear parade.

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After being narrowed down to 10, finalists paraded in gowns before the final five answered an interview question in front of the judges, who included actress Francia Raisa and Rylee Arnold from “Dancing with the Stars.”

Asked about the biggest challenge facing young people today, Carver highlighted the importance of mental health. She described the impact that losing her father to lung cancer had on her, then aged 13, adding: “my mental health struggled severely but I was able to find hope again — and that was through the art of dance.”

Carver said she went on to create her own organization, Dance to Empower, which is “founded on bringing the joy of dance to everyone.”



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