Lexington, TN (abc24.com) - A West Tennessee teen says he can finally be himself, all because he challenged school administrators who said only girls could wear make-up.
"I thought it was kind of weird that I wasn't allowed to do it, and all the girls were allowed to wear as much as they wanted." said Kasey Landrum.
Landrum is a junior at Lexington High School, about 100 miles from Memphis.
He says he went public with his sexuality in 8th grade, and found that he wasn't truly himself unless he was wearing make-up.
"It is a way to express my feminine side, because I do have one." said Landrum.
But, Landrum says, he had to live a double life, because he wasn't allowed to wear that make-up to school.
"When I got home I was allowed to be whoever I wanted to be." Landrum said. "At school it was pretty bad."
Landrum says his grades suffered, and he stopped going to school because he was depressed.
He got so fed up he challenged the school's policies, and earlier this month he got suspended for 3 days.
"The principal made a judgement as far as dress code being disruptive." says Steve Wilkinson, Henderson County Director of Schools.
There was only one problem though, the school district went back and reviewed its policy and determined it couldn't stop Landrum from wearing make-up.
"It may sound silly, because it is just make-up, it may sound kind of stupid, to me, the make-up is the biggest part of who I am." Landrum said.
