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Teenage girl shamed for her ‘distracting’ outfit fights back in a very funny way

“[Because] she has a figure she was told she had to change.”

Photo from Facebook page.

A clever message written on her T-shirt.

A Lawton, Oklahoma, student who goes by the Facebook user name Rose Lynn had the last laugh after being sent home from school for wearing an outfit deemed "distracting." Rose Lynn believes her outfit attracted the attention of school officials because of her figure.

She proved it by posting a photo on Facebook of her modest outfit, which consisted of black leggings, a t-shirt, long cardigan, and boots. In her post, she wrote that she was sent home "because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age," and because she's a "CURVY woman." Rose Lynn also thinks the appropriate response shouldn't have been to tell her to cover up, but to teach boys to "to respect the boundaries of young ladies."

Her father, Lance Miles, agrees with her. "If she was built like a board or as round as a ball she wouldn't have been sent home but [since] she has a figure she was told she had to change," he said in the comments of her Facebook post.

"This is 100 percent on [Lawton Public Schools] because they have left the rule up to interpretation. She has been taught that if you believe in something, do what you must and be prepared for the consequences. She has done that," he continued.

Rose Lynn's post:

"So today I was sent home from class, after being in school for two hours, for my outfit. Because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age, I am required to go home and change... Because I look like a CURVY woman and may distract young boys, I have to miss class and change my outfit.

So once again, society has failed to advocate young ladies, by confining them in a box, where they are stripped from their sense of self respect and self expression, rather than teaching young men to respect the boundaries of young ladies. My response: #Feminism #YoullDistractTheBoys #SocietyIsFailing"
school policy, sexism, women, Oklahoma

The before and after images for following a dress code.

Photo from Facebook page.


On the day Rose Lynn was sent home, she was due to take a 20-minute algebra exam. She asked school officials if she could take the test before changing her outfit, but her request was denied. So the next day, she got her revenge.

Rose Lynn returned to school wearing an oversize t-shirt. On the front she scribbled a quote from school officials in black Sharpie, "It doesn't cover your crotch"; on the back, "You'll distract the boys." That day, Rose Lynn was called to the office and sent home again. This time it wasn't for her outfit but for not wearing her student I.D., which she had left in the classroom after being called to the office.


This article originally appeared on 05.17.19

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A 107-yr-old witness to the Tulsa Race Massacre just gave a powerful testimony to Congress

The Hill/YouTube

One hundred years ago, the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma was a bustling Mecca of Black-owned businesses and a community where Black Americans thrived. It was known colloquially as "Black Wall Street," and was an anomaly in a state where the KKK actively worked to keep Black people oppressed.

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, it all changed. An alleged assault attempt by a young Black man against a young white woman (which never amounted to anything, as all charges were dropped) sparked protests, violence, and ultimately, a massacre by white mobs who murdered, looted, and set fire to Black Wall Street. More than 1200 homes were destroyed, churches were burned, and businesses wiped out. Thousands of white people descended on Greenwood and obliterated 35 city blocks in 24 hours, causing irreparable financial damage in addition to the emotional toll of the massacre.

The death count has never been verified. One newspaper initially only reported that two white people were killed in the "race riot." Current estimates put the number killed at around 300, almost all of them Black residents. Thousands of those left behind had to live in tents and try to pick up the pieces of their lives, literally and figuratively.

But many Americans never learn this history. It has rarely been taught in schools, even in Oklahoma, partially because much of the documentation of the massacre was covered up. A 1997 commission organized by the city examined documents and interviewed survivors to piece together what really happened on those days, and they released a report on their findings in 2001. Of their many notable findings, the commission determined that white Tulsa officials participated in the violence, even providing the white mob with firearms and ammunition to terrorize the Black residents.

The massacre of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street"www.youtube.com

The survivors that the city interviewed are gone now, but there are still a few people left who witnessed the massacre.

107-year-old Viola Fletcher, the oldest living survivor, testified this week before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, asking the U.S. to formally "acknowledge what happened in Tulsa in 1921" on its centennial. Her testimony was powerful.

"I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire," Fletcher told lawmakers. "I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day."

"I am 107 years old and have never seen justice," she said. "I pray that one day I will. I have been blessed with a long life -- and have seen the best and worst of this country. I think about the terror inflicted upon Black people in this country every day."

Watch her powerful 7-minute testimony:

POWERFUL: Oldest living survivor of Tulsa race massacre testifies in front of Housewww.youtube.com


Another survivor, 106-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle also testified about what she witnessed when she was six.

"They burned houses and businesses. They just took what they wanted out of the buildings then they burned them," she said." They murdered people. We were told they just dumped the dead bodies into the river. I remember running outside of our house. I ran past dead bodies. It wasn't a pretty sight. I still see it today in my mind—100 years later."

The remaining survivors have called for reparations, citing the inability of the community to rebuild following the massacre, especially in light of the Jim Crow laws and racist economic policies that followed.

Many Americans tend to think of the history of blatant, violent, government-sanctioned racism as something in the distant past, but there are still people alive today who remember this massacre that took place in 1921. And that year was a mere 50 years after the start of the Civil War, which means many Black Americans living in the South at that time had been born into slavery. That history is simply not that far away.

All three of the testimonies from survivors of the Tulsa-Greenwood Race Massacre are powerful. You can watch the full House Judiciary hearing here:

Continuing Injustice: The Centennial of the Tulsa-Greenwood Race Massacrewww.youtube.com

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A black delivery man was held against his will inside a gated community just for doing his job

The advent of the smartphone has given everyone the ability to document acts of discrimination. Now, it seems like there's a new story every week of a black person being harassed by white people for simply going about their day.

In the recent case of Ahmaud Arbery, simply jogging through the wrong neighborhood led to his death.

Travis Miller, 43, a black man who delivers furniture and appliances was held against his will in a private housing development in Oklahoma Metro City, Oklahoma on Monday, May 11. After the delivery, Miller and a co-worker, attempted to exit development when they were stopped by a white man who identified himself as David Stewart, a board member of the Home Owners Association.

Stewart parked his white Subaru in front of Miller's truck so he couldn't leave. So Miller documented the interaction from the seat of his truck.

Black Truck Driver held up and blocked in by White Homeowner Association President in Oklahomawww.youtube.com

"I'm trying to leave, and I got Super Neighbor over here blocking me in, so I'm going live," Mr. Miller said at the beginning of the video. "This is what I'm dealing with right now."

"Got me blocked in so I can't leave," Miller continued. "I want to know where you're going?" Stewart replied.

"It's none of your business, Miller said. "I'm going out. That's where I'm going."

Miller told Stewart a resident gave him the gate code so he clearly had reason to be in the complex. Without a code, he never could have entered.

About 15 minutes into the standoff, Stewart returned with another white man who continued to pepper Miller with questions. Both Miller and Stewart reported the incident to the police and sat in a standoff while awaiting their arrival.

Eventually, the customer Miller delivered the package to spoke with Stewart, and he called the police and told them the situation had been resolved. But Miller was still hesitant to leave the complex.

"He said that he called the cops back and let them know that everything was clear but I didn't want to leave and have it seem like I was fleeing the scene or anything like that," Miller said to dispatch.

via YouTube

Miller posted the video to Facebook where it has been viewed over 600,000 times. Many of the commentators believe that the residents' actions were racially motivated.

"I think things would have gone differently if I was white," Miller said according to the New York Times. "His issue was with the people inside the truck."

Miller's wife agrees. "What my husband went through Monday was some scary, unnecessary, blatant racism, but the outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming," LaShawn Miller, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Miller also filed a police report on Saturday, according to Capt. Larry Withrow, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department.

The video is another example of black people being harassed while simply going about their daily lives. It's also a tribute to Miller who stays relatively calm during the entire interaction. A major reason is probably because as a black man right now—any threat of physical intimidation or outrage—could immediately have jeopardized his very existence, to say nothing of his personal liberties.

"I knew if I get out this truck, no matter what happened, I would have been in the wrong," he said. "I always say to myself, 'I'm going to go home to my wife and my kids.'"

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A straight man in Oklahoma wants you to know not all country boys are homophobic.

Cody Barlow on Facebook

There's an unfortunate — but not inaccurate — stereotype that people who live down south don't support LGBT+ rights. The story, of course, is much more complex. In Kentucky, for instance, where I got married because Kim Davis told me I couldn't, the reactions I got from residents ran from "Wow, we're so happy for you!" to "just don't talk about it here," to my brother telling me that maybe I should focus on "not speaking" in one small town which I would have happily moved to (if not for the homophobia) because there was a video rental/tanning salon combo on the main street.

But things seem (hopefully) to be headed in the right direction. And Cody Barlow, a straight man in Oklahoma, is working to challenge the idea that all "country boys" are incapable of accepting and supporting the LGBT+ people in their lives (and in general).

In June, Barlow posted a picture of his truck. Now, if you've checked your Facebook feed recently, that isn't such a big deal. People post pictures of their cars all the time in the hopes that you'll hit them with a heart emoji. But Barlow's photo was different. He'd used duct tape and mailbox letters to transform the back of his pickup into a supportive message for anyone who identifies as LGBT+.


"This is important to me, not only because I have family and friends that are LGBTQ+, but also because countless people have dealt with hatred and judgement simply for who they are, and/or who they love, for far too long, " Barlow wrote in the accompanying caption. "Obviously doing this isn't going to change the minds of those who are intolerant, but hopefully it can help drown out the hatred with love."

And he didn't care about any of the negative reactions he might receive: "I live in a rural area in Oklahoma, surrounded by small towns in every direction, and I'm sure this is not a very welcome message around here," he wrote. "But this is going to be displayed on my truck for the entire month of June in support of pride month."

Barlow wasn't wrong about getting some people mad, though. While most of the comments he received on his photo were from people congratulating him on his creative show of love, others denigrated him for his support, suggested they were "cool with those people until they force their agenda down my throat,"* and insisted that Barlow was the bigoted one for drawing attention t the problem of homophobia among those that would also call themselves "country boys."

In a world where conservatives (and white supremacists) have dreamed up a "straight pride" just to troll those who identify as LGBT+, I'd say Barlow's message is still sorely needed.

* What does this talking point even mean? It's trotted out every time anyone mentions Pride and completely ignores that heterosexuality is consistently shoved into everyone's faces 24/7. Inclusivity is not an "agenda." Just let the gay rats get married on TV!

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