Jamie Love, 17, Claims School Expelled Him For Wearing Women's Clothes, Wins Fight To Return

Jamie Love, a 17-year-old high school student who was allegedly expelled for wearing women's clothes, has won his fight to return to school, the Scottish Daily Record reports.

In a separate report, Love opened up to the paper about the pain he felt following his expulsion.

"It took me years to finally open up to someone about my sexuality and now I feel betrayed by the people I trusted," Love told the Daily Record. "I have always felt different but I have never been able to talk about it. They have made me feel like a fool. I left the school in tears feeling totally humiliated and embarrassed."

Love came to school wearing knee-length black shorts, hair extensions, tights, a hair band, blouse, and school tie. Once he arrived, he was met with immediate hostility from teachers, according to STV News.

"When [I] went into the class, everything was fine and then the teacher came and got me and then took me into the school and asked me what I was trying to do to the school," he told the station. "Then they said: 'You shouldn't be dressed like that.' Then two deputies came in and said my time at Govan High was over and then I got my stuff and had to leave. I asked if I could come back as a boy and they said no."

Officials at Govan High School reversed the expulsion last night, and a spokesperson told the Daily Record that Love's choice of dress was never the issue.

"We welcome Jamie's assurances to commit to his education ... Jamie's choice of clothing has never been an issue ... so he can come to school dressed as a girl if he wants to," the spokesperson told the paper. "However, it's important that we put measures in place to accommodate this decision and the school would like to meet him and his mother."

Love admits he's had "behavioral problems" in the past due to his confusion about his sexuality, but told the paper he's just ready to get back to school.

"This is great news. It is a major victory for me and all the other kids who are confused about their sexuality," he told the paper. "I'm delighted I can return to school and be myself. This is a second chance for me and I won’t mess it up. I will keep my head down and work hard to get my qualifications."

See 11 controversial school suspensions below:

• Student Suspended For Having Bengals Football Helmet Shaved Into His Hair

  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47z_zA_fHTc" target="_hplink">See the video here.</a>

• Male Cheerleader Suspended For Kissing Another Male Student

• Student Suspended After Saying She Wished Osama Bin Laden Had Killed Her Math Teacher

  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zxg8TFQnUk" target="_hplink">See the video here.</a>

• Student Gets Suspended For Bringing Empty Shotgun Shells To School For Show And Tell

  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBS2OTlQx2U" target="_hplink">See the video here.</a>

• Students Suspended For Making Hand Signal In School Photo

  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qTK-V1sK8" target="_hplink">See the video here.</a>

• Student Suspended For Having Bloodshot Eyes

• Student Suspended For Bringing A Bag Of Oregano To School

• Student Suspended For Saying "Homosexuality Is Wrong"

• Teacher Suspended For Telling Students To "Oink" At Messy Classmate

• Students Suspended For Defecating On Rival High Schools' Property

• Students Suspended For Making Peace Sign

  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgCDw4ANSlY" target="_hplink">See the video here.</a>

Comments

[paul87920]

08:19 AM on 02/29/2012

C'mon folks. I know this is hard for the heteronormative out there, but transgendered does not equal homosexual. As far as Jamie's clothes are concerned, I'd like to know more about the school's dress code policy. If the same clothes would be allowed on any other female, Jamie should be allowed to wear it too.

[Barbara0817]

01:45 PM on 01/23/2012

He probably did this to get out of going to school . He needs to shave His legs lol

[Christina-Xena]

05:11 AM on 01/28/2012

Your suppositions are ridicuious and slanderous. NO ONE is going to crossdress in order to get kicked out of school.

Also the photo at the top ISN'T the person being discussed, just some stock photo.

The Huff Post article is about as short and lacking key information as it gets. To get a truer idea of the situation, and view ACTUAL photos of the trans-girl (and her mother and sister) click on the two links in some comments about 12 down before yours. You might learn something instead of just making drive-by ignorant statements.

And BTW, there is no LOL! aspects to this life changing story.

[Shaedofblue]

12:11 AM on 02/01/2012

The only pictures we have seen of her were in tights.

[rightasrain]

12:33 PM on 01/23/2012

This is what gets their asses in trouble. This is what causes name calling and jeering. It creates a near riot. Somebody asked what would happen if he came dressed as a horse; same thing! It's distrubing to the entire student body. He did it for shock value and to see if he could get away with it. If everybody knows he's gay, so be it. He's gay! But to do something out of the ordinary to the point it's outlandish, it disrupts learning! Pity the poor teachers and principals. Educating those who don't want to be is hard enough let alone class disruptions by something like this.

[Shaedofblue]

12:13 AM on 02/01/2012

She wasn't dressed outlandishly, and if she successfully transitions socially she'll have less reason to act out and probably end up a better student.

[Nagumo10001]

05:21 AM on 02/15/2012

What a load of ****. No child wishes to stand out like this. They do so because they feel a need. If others can't take someone being different, that's their issue, not this child's. It's shameful that the school would take such drastic measures against a student that's caused no harm, and done nothing wrong. I guess ignorance and intolerance rule yet again. Go you. :|

[Maverick83702]

04:47 AM on 01/22/2012

What will the duma$$ school do next week when he comes to school dressed like a horse or a pig?... lol. They better get advice from PETA before they get in trouble again for acting too hastily... lol. NO SOUP FOR HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brittany Lock]

11:19 AM on 01/21/2012

Why do they keep calling Jamie a boy? She identifies as a girl. She's a girl.

[SteveDenver]

05:21 PM on 01/20/2012

Too bad someone didn't realize he wasn't wearing "girl's clothes," they belonged to HIM.

This hearkens back to pioneer days when it was illegal for people to dress in the clothes deemed "tailored for" the opposite sex: women could not wear trousers, men could not wear skirts or dresses. This became problematic when ministers dressed in robes or women needed to work the land or herd. Such laws persisted sporadically until the 1960s -- female impersonators in Colorado told of not being able to perform in Denver, but they could appear in shows in mountain mining towns.

I'm glad his expulsion was rescinded, but there should be pressure to also expel female students who wear "boy's clothes." When looked at from that point of view, this is all the more ridiculous.

[gov111w]

03:29 PM on 01/20/2012

This is just so rediculous......I would have expelled him for showing those legs OMG...

[Pax333]

06:07 PM on 01/17/2012

Dr. Drew may call the facebook comment a threat but unless the young lady can time travel I fail to see how it's anything but a personal comment on how she feels about the teacher.

I do wish people would make their facebook private, it's really creepy how many people lurk around trying to look for reasons to be upset. The teacher stalked her students and got her reward. That said, kids really need to, somehow, be made to understand that when you send something out into cyberland it can haunt you forever not just now with stalking teachers.

Some of these suspensions truly make me wonder about the cognitive skills of the staff at some of these schools. Bloodshot eyes (from crying because your father was murdered) and they smell you saying you smell like pot? Time out hand signal used for Techno and interpreted as supporting drug use?

Peace sign? WTF? Please tell me they don't give guns or tazers to people so painfully uneducated as to not know the difference between a peace sign and what they are calling a "gang" sign.....who knew? Heavy metal, sure, warding off the evil eye, sure, an archaic measurement to indicate the adjacent positions on a tenor trombone, OK. Yeah, I looked it up and got the latter but no mention of gangs usurping the hand signal.

Kids are our future? Hope they rise above this id1ocy or things will be very bleak.

[Christina-Xena]

08:29 PM on 01/17/2012

Also putting out too much private information contributes to the scam where someone calls a relative of a child pretending they are a close friend of their's and shares some personal information to verify they are, then ask for money for some emergency.

It's amazing how many people fall prey to this money-scam, but seems mostly directed towards the elderly who is less self defensive and more giving in general. But even if scammers do this 10 times and get one hit ....it means making a log of scam money for a day's work.

[Blahblahblogster]

11:54 PM on 01/16/2012

The young man's need to "open up to someone..." in a school environment, is a distraction. If he wants to cross dress, do it elsewhere and not at school. The same holds true for any other student who is a distraction. Frankly, I'm tired of non-homosexuals having to apologize for their beliefs. I am tired of LGBT's inability to come to terms with their sexuality and forcing everyone else to apologize. What we all do sexually, whether gay or not, is private and should remain private. I don't want to know nor need to know what anyone else's sexual habits are. Stop shoving deviant behavior down our throats, gay or not. What happened to self respect and respect of others? What happened to privacy? Keep your business private and if you must share it, then be willing to accept the consequences.

[Jason N]

02:15 PM on 01/17/2012

"What we all do sexually, whether gay or not, is private and should remain private."

So no more prom right? No more school dances, no more dating in school, no holding hands in school, no sneaking a make out session in before class starts. Please.... straight people like you CONSTANTLY shove it in everyone's face, but if someone even says the words, "I'm gay" you're suddenly "whoa, whoa, whoa buddy... slow down we don't need to hear about your sexuality. So what was I saying, oh yeah, so my wife comes out in this tight little..." You're pathetically obvious and monstrously hypocritical.

[Blahblahblogster]

12:45 AM on 01/18/2012

Not everyone is promiscuous. Not everyone sees or uses prom as a sexual opportunity. There's nothing wrong with school dances or dating in school or holding hands in school. However, there is something wrong with "sneaking a make out session in before class starts". There's a time and a place and school is not the place. You're right, I don't want to hear about anyone's sexuality, likes or dislikes, unless it is with my spouse. Again, that is my private business and I don't care to hear about yours. That's not hypocritical as you'd like to make it. It's called discretion and privacy. Quite simply, I'm "monstrously" against PDAs period and I "monstrously" believe in privacy, and I do not starve attention like some. To further send you into a tizzy, the country is going to hell all over your need to discuss and exhibit your sexuality amongst other bastardly indiscretions.

[SteveDenver]

05:24 PM on 01/20/2012

F/F
You nailed it: when gays and lesbians want to come out, some people's minds immediately go to the bed. But when a heterosexual has a picture of his phone of the girl he met this weekend (and a new girl every weekend) and shows it in the office, that's normal. I also object to baby and children's pictures being displayed, are we supposed to think those little darlings arrived through wishing hard?

[Brittany Lock]

11:22 AM on 01/21/2012

This story has absolutely nothing to do with sexual behavior, so your point is completely irrelevant.

[Christina-Xena]

07:15 PM on 01/16/2012

This short HP piece leaves out a lot of relevant information, and any picture of the child, and their attire. So here is another source, that was mentioned in the first few comments of this article, and has several good PHOTOS of the child in question.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085856/Jamie-Love-17-sent-home-Govan-High-School-wearing-womens-clothing.html

[Jason N]

02:17 PM on 01/17/2012

And the photos prove what exactly other than she thinks it's still the early 90s? We're expelling kids for their lack of fashion sense now or what? I don't have a clue what you're getting at.

[Christina-Xena]

04:35 PM on 01/17/2012

Well the various photos establishes, or at least allows comments on the following aspects:
- not a uniform school, so the point of "school tie" seems irrelevant
- not a freaky appearance, so the idea the kid was trying to be disrruptive is weak
- shows Jamie needs help with the makeup aspect, and his mother and sisters can help in that regards, and would probably be fairly passable when done right (my professional opinion here).
- shows that a picture is worth a thousand words, and HP's description was a weak one
- other than the red headband the outfit doesn't stand out
- the picture of the mother and sister speaks of their style and feminine appearance
- if you substituted a girl face over Jamie, it could be just about any girl going to school
- and the article shares Jamie has 5 sisters, although I hope they have better style than the pictured mother and sister.

So by seeing photos we get to view the degree of concern for the teacher/school, the degree of gender congruence of the child, and for myself at least the potentiality of transitioning if that is what Jamie ever decides is their proper course in the future.

[bynddrvn5]

05:43 PM on 01/16/2012

A boy expelled for dressing up as a girl in Scotland where many men wear traditional kilts.

As long as he is wearing an appropriate outfit for a girl/boy - he should be allowed to go to class.

I found this updated article, apparently he has been dressing as a girl for a while now: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/01/14/schoolboy-cross-dresser-jamie-love-opens-his-heart-and-photo-album-86908-23698365/

[Christina-Xena]

07:21 PM on 01/16/2012

Great link! And now with the one I just posted, right above yours, folks have two links, more direct statements from the child, and multiple photos to view. I just wish I could have reviewed them before making comments based on a very limited HP article.

[bynddrvn5]

05:46 PM on 01/20/2012

Thank you!

I agree with you, the HP article is VERY limited.

[mggwa]

03:26 PM on 01/16/2012

My daughter was guilty of eyerolling and sent to detention. She rolls her eyes very well.

[Pax333]

06:13 PM on 01/17/2012

It's good to have a talent ;o) but who can blame her....just watching the videos supplied above made me roll my eyes and sigh repeatedly.

[Christina-Xena]

07:22 PM on 01/16/2012

"Slice em off" ???? Their genitial????

You just earned yourself a "Flagged!

[Pixielilly]

03:08 PM on 01/16/2012

Why all the fuss? In other countries males wear skirts all the time ... big whoop-ti-doo. Anyone making a big deal of this not heard of a kilt? C'mon. Unless the school has designated uniforms they should really have nothing to say regarding attire as long as students privates are covered.

[socraticus]

01:48 PM on 01/16/2012

In my view there are certain rules of dress that may be established for the sake of decency according to the values of the community - so a school can ban gang attire for all (though claiming a gang has claimed an entire color, eg. is obviously taking it too far), can say students must cover their torsos, not wear high heels etc. However, these rules are non-gender specific. If the dress code is followed, it should be allowed. As some poster have noted though, and the story states, it could very well be that the student's reaction to administration's reaction was itself a wild and inappropriate overreaction, EVEN IF the teachers themselves overreacted. Personally, I see freedom of dress as a free speech issue and community standards ought to be balanced and tempered with consideration of free expression. I had to wait until I hit the college level before I pranced about campus and classrooms barefoot. I guess in a way it's like, once you have shown you can follow the rules, they become a lot less stringent.