www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13446523.htm

Student asked to change out of kilt seeks dress code change
BETSY TAYLOR
Associated Press
JACKSON, Mo. - When Nathan Warmack wore a Scottish kilt to a high school dance, the senior wasn't trying to make a point. He just wanted to honor his heritage.

But then a principal told him to change into a pair of pants. And what began with a few yards of tartan has sparked an international debate about freedom, symbols and cultural dress.

More than 1,600 people have signed an Internet petition seeking an apology for the student. Scots in the United States are assembling a traditional ensemble they hope the student will wear to the prom. And his family is trying to change the school's dress code policy.

"It's a kilt. It's going to turn heads, but I never believed it would have become what it is," Warmack said.

"I had a teacher say you weren't really wearing it to honor your heritage. You were wearing it for the reaction. No, I wasn't," he said.

Warmack is a defensive lineman on the football team, the sort of student whose grades are "in the alphabet," he said - not too high, but good enough to get him to college, where he'd like to study to be a police officer or a history teacher. He lives in Jackson, a growing, largely middle-class city of about 14,000 people about 110 miles from St. Louis.

He got interested in his family's Scottish ties after seeing Mel Gibson's 1995 movie "Braveheart," about William Wallace's battle to overthrow English rule in 13th century Scotland. Warmack reads books about Scotland and checks Web sites to learn more about his family's genealogy.
Then, he bought a kilt off the Internet to wear to his school's formal "Silver Arrow" dance in November. Warmack said he showed it to a vice principal before the dance, who joked he'd better wear something underneath it, and Warmack assured him he would.

The student's parents, Terry and Paula, helped him piece together the rest of his outfit, a white shirt and black tie with white socks and black boots.

"We knew it wasn't the formal regalia," said Nathan's father. "We wanted it to be acceptable for the occasion."

After Nathan and his date posed for pictures, Principal Rick McClard, who had not previously seen the kilt, told the student he had to go change. Warmack refused a few times and said the outfit was recognizing his heritage.

Warmack said McClard told him: "Well, this is my dance, and I'm not going to have students coming into it looking like clowns."

McClard later said he had no recollection of saying that, Nathan's dad said. The principal did not return phone calls seeking comment.

The school district's superintendent, Ron Anderson, said under the district's dress code policy, McClard has the authority to judge appropriate dress for extracurricular activities, including dances.

"It's mainly to protect from the possibility of a disruption or something that could be viewed as a disruption," Anderson said. The superintendent said he doesn't see the school board taking that authority away from the principal.

But several Scottish heritage organizations are angry, pointing out that a kilt is a symbol of Scottish pride and considered formal dress.

"It comes down to symbols, right?" said Tom Wilson, a Texas commissioner for the Clan Gunn Society of North American, a Scottish heritage organization.

"To say the traditional Scottish dress makes you look like a clown is a direct insult to people of Scottish heritage and those who live in Scotland." He wondered what would have happened if, for example, an Indian girl wore a sari to the same dance. "Would she have faced the same restrictions?"
Another Clan Gunn member, Beth Gardner, started an online petition seeking an apology for Warmack. It questions in part the notion that the kilt was a distraction.

"From what? From the intense concentration it takes to dance?"

Nathan's parents think the principal should formally apologize to their son, and the family is trying to figure out how to get the school's dress code changed so that students could have the right to wear formal cultural attire and so that the principal alone doesn't have power over those decisions.
"We have to have guidelines, and they have to be equal for everyone across the board," Terry Warmack said.

Around the country, other schools have wrestled with the appropriateness of kilt-wearing.
A principal in Victoria, Texas, ordered two boys into "more appropriate" attire when they wore kilts to school in 1992, saying: "I know kilts. Those weren't kilts and the boys aren't Scots."

In 1993, a student in Fayette County, Ga., was not allowed to enter his prom at McIntosh High School because he showed up in a kilt and refused to change clothes.

And while they weren't trying to dress in kilts, a few boys were allowed to wear skirts to class at Franklin Community High School in Indiana in 1997, when a superintendent said different people express themselves in different ways.

In Warmack's case, Scottish groups are hoping they can help him to establish a formal Scottish ensemble that more fully reflects his heritage, including pieces that are being handmade for Warmack in Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida.

Warmack said he's concerned that school officials are just waiting for the situation to blow over, and that the policy won't be changed.

"This has picked up a lot of steam," he said, "but it hasn't really gotten anywhere."
---_
On the 'Net:
Kilt petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/kilt05/
Jackson school district: http://www.jackson.k12.mo.us/


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We talk about school dress codes and proms some here.  We know how teenage girls dress.  Should boys be allowed to wear kilts?  Or can we not afford a Scottish uprising?

Poll inbound

Feel free to add Braveheart quotes

If his actions are not harming anyone and are not illegal, what is the problem? People need to start minding their own damn business.

Yes!!




You know why Scots ware kilts right?


Zippers scare the sheep.

Kilt = easy access to the twig and cherries!

To be honest with you, I really don't care what other people do anymore. Just stop telling me that it's normal and quit shoving it down my throat.

Let him wear a girls prom dress to prom if he wants to. Just keep it out of the headlines.

While I'm not opposed to kilts worn by those who want to, when I was in school, showing up in a kilt would have caused the rest of the males at the prom to kick your ass.  Might be different nowadays though.

If he didn't paint his face blue and show up with a battle ax, we may have a hate crime!

Gramail! (Resist!)

Well, if other ethnic groups can wear turbans, saris, etc. why shouldn't a Scott be allowed to wear a kilt?  MJD

Quoted: While I'm not opposed to kilts worn by those who want to, when I was in school, showing up in a kilt would have caused the rest of the males at the prom to kick your ass.

He's a defensive lineman so the rest of the males had better be pretty stout.

US Marine piper in kilt:

Personally I think a kilt should be allowed, however I also think it's a stupid idea, and inappropriate for the occasion.

Tradition my ass. I doubt he wears one on a regular basis. Attention whore who wants to be unique or set a trend or whatever comes to mind.

I was dressed in "traditional Scottish attire" for my cousin's wedding last year. We looked awesome. Go for it, but go all out with it. Don't be half-assed about it. If anybody says you look like an ass, tell them to go f**k off.


"IF IT'S NOT SCOTTISH, IT'S CRAP!!"

If it was a Dashiki no one would say a thing. Equality my ass.

Quoted: Quoted: While I'm not opposed to kilts worn by those who want to, when I was in school, showing up in a kilt would have caused the rest of the males at the prom to kick your ass.   He's a defensive lineman so the rest of the males had better be pretty stout. US Marine piper in kilt:

Are those cargo pockets i see?

Waiting for the Ghetto Prom pics to show up.

Ghetto?.........YOU GOT IT!!

Kilts are "bad" and "inappropriate".

But this is OK?

Wow!  Kids trying to "shock" the adult world!  What will they think of next?

Quoted: Quoted: While I'm not opposed to kilts worn by those who want to, when I was in school, showing up in a kilt would have caused the rest of the males at the prom to kick your ass.   He's a defensive lineman so the rest of the males had better be pretty stout. US Marine piper in kilt: www.xmarksthescot.com/farr/pic3.jpg

If he were a Marine, nobody would have said anything. Then again, we're talking high school, nobody's a Marine yet.

Defensive lineman?  We had a bunch of them! At least one went pro.

The dude really just wants to wear a dress, and the Scot kilt thing is a smokescreen.

Just buy him a prom dress for Christ's sake and let's move on.

Wow there are a lot of ghetto prom pics online.

Would post some but they might violate the BOTD guidelines.

Quoted: If it was a Dashiki no one would say a thing. Equality my ass.

+1

I don't remember if it was the Navy or Marines, but a few years back a guy showed up in his dress uniform and got turned away.  He was supposed to wear a tux.

Back then many on arfcom blasted him for "not following the rules"

Heck, if he really is Celtic, why not? As long as he's wearing the appropriate tartan for his clan/locale (Or one of the two 'generic' ones).

He probably shouldn't wear something underneath though, if it's going to be done right.

I debated showing up at Ft Knox in a kilt, for Basic. I figured with my accent, height, age, rank and prior experience I was going to stand out anyway, why not do it right? A rare, but surprisingly strong bout of reality hit me shortly before the date, however, and I decided that it might not be such a good idea.

Not wearing kilts on a daily basis is pretty irrelevant. I'll wager much of the Tartan Army (Scottish football/rugby supporters) don't wear kilts every day either, but that doesn't stop them wearing the gear at matches. (and to pick up women)

NTM

Quoted: To be honest with you, I really don't care what other people do anymore. Just stop telling me that it's normal and quit shoving it down my throat. Let him wear a girls prom dress to prom if he wants to. Just keep it out of the headlines.

+1

Quoted: I don't remember if it was the Navy or Marines, but a few years back a guy showed up in his dress uniform and got turned away.  He was supposed to wear a tux.

Standard military dress uniform does not qualify as formal attire.  That's actually specified at least in Army regulations.  Other services might be different.

In the Army, Mess Dress qualifies.  It's bloody well expensive, though.  Mess dress is the coat with tails and all the little itty bitty mini medals and that jazz.  It's sharp, but unless you're a field grade officer, you can't afford it.

At least with the Army, there was also an intermediate stage, "dress blues."

I'm not sure what traditional formal attire for Scots might be.  My heritage is Irish.  As far as I know, we didn't do formal things.  We just got drunk a lot, as far as I can tell.  

Ah'm sorry, laddie bot the whole thing's teh geidh

I could care less what these kids wear so long as they don't have private parts hanging out of whatever they are wearing. Far more concerning to me are prom dresses that leave 75% of a girls's breast hanging out in the open. At least the kilt would cover that dude's cock and balls, so it serves the purpose.

If women can wear short skirts, men can wear shorts or kilts, as well.  Otherwise that's just bogus sexist  bullshit.

Quoted: Not wearing kilts on a daily basis is pretty irrelevant.

Agreed.

Most people don't wear thier tuxedo on a daily basis either.  However there was a time when they were regularly worn to dinner.  Hence the proper term dinner jacket.  British military officers routinely 'dressed for dinner' even if they were in the middle of Africa.

Kilts in Scotland can be worn with formal attire or a more casual attire.



Prince Charles on his way to church in Scotland.  Here the kilt is largely worn simply in place of pants.



Formal wear, notice the short jacket similar to mess dress with little diamonds, wing collar shirt, bow tie, different sporan.

I popped in to sign the petition.  It now has 6,671 signatures.  I have a kilt and wear it for special occasions.  I have even worn it to a military ball.  It was well received.

Lifesaver

proud member of Clan Keith

Alba Gu Brath

Let the fucking kid go...  If done in a tasteful manner I think it's great.  Of course we are talking about Kansas, wonder what The Great Flying Spaghetti Monster Would say about this.

~Dg84

Here's the kid's prom picture.  Looks like he took the more casual approach.

 

http://images.scotsman.com/2005/12/06/kilt-flapb.jpg

Quoted: Yes!! You know why Scots ware kilts right? Zippers scare the sheep.

BAD FORM, BAD FORM,,,,

TO THE REST MAKING RUDE OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS,,I have seen thread after thread concerning freedoms in this forum, gun rights, freedom of speech, screaming at anti christian propaganda and what ever cockamamie, Marxist,  hollywood leftist dribble is coming from the left coast...and the wailing and complaining about the SHEEPLE.etc..

For this group to make rude, unflattering comments about someone proud of thier heritage, willing to stand up against the "norm" to defend his right to represent his HISTORY, is no worse than the gun grabbers, anti christian, left wing wackos you all piss and moan about.,
THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THESE REMARKS, YOU SHOULD ALL HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME
Over the last few weeks i have questioned renewing my team membership due to the fact there is just a load of crap seeming to pop up daily and that teenagers seem to have taken over the board in the last few months..
for the most part it is cheap entertainment, offering some enlightenment and commentary on the happenings of the world..
to see the anti freedom rantings of nearly 50% of you makes me wonder if the DU has taken over this board...

yep

I wore a kilt to my HS prom, and I had girls WAITING in line to dance and have pics taken with me.

The teachers all loved it and even the asshole asst principal liked it.

kilts rock. I wear it to highland games and get hit on by women left and right.

Thanks for the pic!

I can see him not being allowed to enter because he isn't wearing a jacket or any sort.  A prom is a semi-formal event and as such jackets should be required.

So there is a reason to not let him in, but the kilt isn't it.

Another question is, if you aren't allowed to wear a kilt to the prom, then what does thier Highland Games team wear?  Do they toss the caber in a wrestling singlet?

FWIW there is a county in NC called Scotland County, where there is a Scotland High whose mascot is the Fighting Scot.  They always have Scottish foriegn exchange students and I suspect kilts would be well recieved.  

Quoted: Here's the kid's prom picture.  Looks like he took the more casual approach.   http://images.scotsman.com/2005/12/06/kilt-flapb.jpg

One of the worst-looking "kilts" I've ever seen. No sporran, no hose- what are those, white socks and Doc Martens? No class!

He'd been better off going to www.utilikilt.com.

If he's serious about the kilt, then he's an ignorant goof. Otherwise, he's pulling everyone's leg.

That looks like a car trunk blanket. Dress Stewart, indeed! Where does Clan Warmack hail from, then?

Kilts on men are weak. Go naked.

Quoted: Tradition my ass. I doubt he wears one on a regular basis. Attention whore who wants to be unique or set a trend or whatever comes to mind.

+1 or maybe he wants to be pumped in the ass by his male date?

Quoted: Quoted: Not wearing kilts on a daily basis is pretty irrelevant. Agreed. Most people don't wear thier tuxedo on a daily basis either.  However there was a time when they were regularly worn to dinner.  Hence the proper term dinner jacket.  British military officers routinely 'dressed for dinner' even if they were in the middle of Africa. Kilts in Scotland can be worn with formal attire or a more casual attire. cache.gettyimages.com/thumb/53337147.jpg?x=x&a=53337147&b=tgpl&t=1 Prince Charles on his way to church in Scotland.  Here the kilt is largely worn simply in place of pants. www.sirsdresshire.com/images/Highland-Dress-Hire.jpg Formal wear, notice the short jacket similar to mess dress with little diamonds, wing collar shirt, bow tie, different sporan.

FWIW I asked Mrs 95th Foot, who, unlike anybody here, is a REAL Scot. She was born in Jamestown, raised in Balloch, Dunbartonshire, attended Glasgow Univ., class of 1987.

She says the kilt is for tourists and weddings. You see more kilts in Scotland on English, Canadian, Japanese and US wannabe Scots/tourists than on actual Scots.

As my missus said at an over-the-top Scottish Festival in Quechee, Vermont a while back, "You lot are more Scottish than I am....."

Quoted: Quoted: Yes!! You know why Scots ware kilts right? Zippers scare the sheep. BAD FORM, BAD FORM,,,, TO THE REST MAKING RUDE OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS,,I have seen thread after thread concerning freedoms in this forum, gun rights, freedom of speech, screaming at anti christian propaganda and what ever cockamamie, Marxist,  hollywood leftist dribble is coming from the left coast...and the wailing and complaining about the SHEEPLE.etc.. For this group to make rude, unflattering comments about someone proud of thier heritage, willing to stand up against the "norm" to defend his right to represent his HISTORY, is no worse than the gun grabbers, anti christian, left wing wackos you all piss and moan about., THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THESE REMARKS, YOU SHOULD ALL HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME Over the last few weeks i have questioned renewing my team membership due to the fact there is just a load of crap seeming to pop up daily and that teenagers seem to have taken over the board in the last few months.. for the most part it is cheap entertainment, offering some enlightenment and commentary on the happenings of the world.. to see the anti freedom rantings of nearly 50% of you makes me wonder if the DU has taken over this board...

LOL A good portion of my family is Scottish.. The other half is Polish..

Fat_McNasty Part of the Marshall clan!

SO lighten up frances!

YES!

Quoted: Quoted: Yes!! You know why Scots ware kilts right? Zippers scare the sheep. BAD FORM, BAD FORM,,,, TO THE REST MAKING RUDE OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS,,I have seen thread after thread concerning freedoms in this forum, gun rights, freedom of speech, screaming at anti christian propaganda and what ever cockamamie, Marxist,  hollywood leftist dribble is coming from the left coast...and the wailing and complaining about the SHEEPLE.etc.. For this group to make rude, unflattering comments about someone proud of thier heritage, willing to stand up against the "norm" to defend his right to represent his HISTORY, is no worse than the gun grabbers, anti christian, left wing wackos you all piss and moan about., THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THESE REMARKS, YOU SHOULD ALL HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME Over the last few weeks i have questioned renewing my team membership due to the fact there is just a load of crap seeming to pop up daily and that teenagers seem to have taken over the board in the last few months.. for the most part it is cheap entertainment, offering some enlightenment and commentary on the happenings of the world.. to see the anti freedom rantings of nearly 50% of you makes me wonder if the DU has taken over this board...

Why, I'm shocked- shocked, I tell you. Didn't you know that English, Scots, Southern Americans, Christians, white people, and gunowners are the LAST people that still can be made fun of as stereotypes? Drink the Kool-Aid, son, drink the Kool-Aid...

Kilts?  No way.  Symbol of white oppression.

Dashiki's are good though. or a thobe.

Hell, you could wear a bathrobe if you said it was part of your african or islamic heritage.

If the kids is going to wear a Kilt to a formal occaision, he should wear it right. He looks like a buffoon in that picture. A proper Scotsman would be ashamed to be seen like that.

Quoted: I can see him not being allowed to enter because he isn't wearing a jacket or any sort.  A prom is a semi-formal event and as such jackets should be required.

See?  You are a racist pig.  Minorities can't afford jackets, so you are excluding them.  You need to be more sensitive to stupid poor people.

Well, they can't afford jackets in addition to cell phones, big screen TV's, and spinner rims with low profile tires, and 40 of malt liquor, some Kool's, maybe a.........

kilts are cool if you're scottish or irish. i'd wear one if they were more accepted in society but they ain't so i won't!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yes!! You know why Scots ware kilts right? Zippers scare the sheep. BAD FORM, BAD FORM,,,, TO THE REST MAKING RUDE OR DEROGATORY COMMENTS,,I have seen thread after thread concerning freedoms in this forum, gun rights, freedom of speech, screaming at anti christian propaganda and what ever cockamamie, Marxist,  hollywood leftist dribble is coming from the left coast...and the wailing and complaining about the SHEEPLE.etc.. For this group to make rude, unflattering comments about someone proud of thier heritage, willing to stand up against the "norm" to defend his right to represent his HISTORY, is no worse than the gun grabbers, anti christian, left wing wackos you all piss and moan about., THOSE THAT HAVE MADE THESE REMARKS, YOU SHOULD ALL HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME Over the last few weeks i have questioned renewing my team membership due to the fact there is just a load of crap seeming to pop up daily and that teenagers seem to have taken over the board in the last few months.. for the most part it is cheap entertainment, offering some enlightenment and commentary on the happenings of the world.. to see the anti freedom rantings of nearly 50% of you makes me wonder if the DU has taken over this board... LOL A good portion of my family is Scottish.. The other half is Polish.. Fat_McNasty Part of the Marshall clan! www.rampantscotland.com/clans/graphics/marshall1a.jpg SO lighten up frances!

Fat_McNasty, i orginally posted as a kick in the pants to your responce more in jest than offence..
after posting I went on to read what i saw as derogatory remarks towards this young man and Scots in general..and edited to include my rant leaving you as the scapegoat...not my intent at all and I offer my full apoligize.

being the first American born son of a Scottish mother(Clan Douglas).. I take offence to the homosexual and beastiality references among others.
My grandfather, uncle,(both Blackwatch, laugh at them in a dress in their day) brother and myself. wear the kilt to festivities, weddings, funerals, Burns night and other such heritage functions.

In truth I get a bit tired of the white oppression/you have no right/ hide who you are and be sorry your not a minority ideaology so prevelant in America today. To see the comments on this board, home of mostly right thinking people shaming someone for taking a stand, showing pride in who they are and where they come from, is just beyond me.

Quoted: LOL A good portion of my family is Scottish.. The other half is Polish..

Does that mean you let the sheep have it's way with ewe you?

Quoted: Fat_McNasty, i orginally posted as a kick in the pants to your responce more in jest than offence.. after posting I went on to read what i saw as derogatory remarks towards this young man and Scots in general..and edited to include my rant leaving you as the scapegoat...not my intent at all and I offer my full apoligize. being the first American born son of a Scottish mother(Clan Douglas).. I take offence to the homosexual and beastiality references among others. My grandfather, uncle,(both Blackwatch, laugh at them in a dress in their day) brother and myself. wear the kilt to festivities, weddings, funerals, Burns night and other such heritage functions. In truth I get a bit tired of the white oppression/you have no right/ hide who you are and be sorry your not a minority ideaology so prevelant in America today. To see the comments on this board, home of mostly right thinking people shaming someone for taking a stand, showing pride in who they are and where they come from, is just beyond me.

Hey No worries..

And honest! I was just helping her over the fence..

What kinda bull shit is this???

Is it the prom or a DEFJAM costume party???

Let me guess... pimpdaddy NBA with his bitch?????

Im glad our kids dont wear that crap around here.

Sorry I know he wants to wear a Kilt, but here its males will wear Tuxes and girls will wear below knee evening dresses.

If his school allows people wear the Gheto crap then he should wear his Kilt, otherwise stay with the dress code IMO.

FREE

Quoted: Ghetto?.........YOU GOT IT!! Kilts are "bad" and "inappropriate". But this is OK?