I Love Boobies Bracelets

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I got a call last spring from a woman whose son was barred from what I recall was his middle school graduation.

This last-minute development was an embarrassment and an inconvenience. For one thing, the boy's grandmother had come from out of town to see the graduation. For another, the mother ended up making a scene in the auditorium because the principal wouldn't leave the stage to talk to her.

The boy's offense: Wearing an "I love boobies" bracelet. They are created by Keep A Breast Foundation, a Carlsbad, Calif., nonprofit group that seeks to increase breast cancer awareness among young people.

At first glance, I was inclined to side with the family, at least somewhat. I'm a big supporter of breast cancer research and awareness, and the principal's reaction seemed extreme.

But it turns out that the principal had specifically told the boy the day before not to wear it to graduation, then saw him wearing it anyway, told him again, and the kid refused at first to take it off.

What's more, it didn't reflect any great commitment on the kid's part to this cause. He just found it in a store and thought it was funny. So there was nothing noble about his defiance.
The mom and I talked a few times about this, and as more information came out, I became less fired up about writing a column, which I feared would just end up making her son look bad. I tried calling the principal myself - no callback - but I also encouraged the mother to arrange her own meeting to get the principal's side and have a heart-to-heart. When she finally did that, she was satisfied and decided not to make a further issue of it.

I forgot all about it until I saw this story last week. It turns out that "I love boobies" has caused problems in other schools all over the country.

The USA Today story began:

"SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Cancer has ravaged several of Ann Aberson's relatives, so she doesn't have a problem with her two teenage daughters wearing bracelets to raise awareness of breast cancer.

But their school principal does.

This week, Baltic High School, just north of here, became one of the latest across the USA to ban the rubber bracelet, which has a message some say is in poor taste: "I love boobies."

The bracelets have caused controversy in schools in states including California, Colorado, Idaho, Florida and Wisconsin. Some districts allow students to wear them inside-out, and others ban them.

"When we had an assembly the first day of school, I basically told the students we are not insensitive to the cause," Baltic High Principal Jim Aisenbrey says. "I think everybody in the gym, including myself, has had a family member or relative or friend who has dealt with the issue. I do think there are more proper ways to bring this plight to the attention of people, and I don't think this is a proper way."

... In the Fresno area, students in the Clovis Unified School District were told not to wear the bracelets in class - or to turn them inside out so the message is not visible, spokeswoman Kelly Avants says. The school district's dress code outlaws jewelry with sexually suggestive language or images, she says.

The story didn't mention it, but there also are hats, shirts, bracelets, bumper stickers and other items that say "Save the Ta-Tas." I'm guessing those could provoke a similar reaction.

I'm curious how you feel about this. Should kids be wearing "I Love Boobies" bracelets or "Save the Ta-Tas" shirts in school?

Additional information:

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