After a boy from Asheville, N.C. was told he couldn't bring his "My Little Pony" backpack to school, the story gained national attention and sparked a lot of outrage. Well, now it seems the school has changed it's tune.
"Nine-year-old Grayson Bruce can once again bring his 'My Little Pony' lunch bag to school. His family claims he was being bullied for the bag. Officials at Candler Elementary told him to leave it at home because it had become a distraction." (Via WSOC)
"He was punched pushed down and called names." (Via WFLA)
And in response to the bullying the school banned the backpack. Grayson's mom then pulled him out of school and began homeschooling him.
"Saying a lunch box is a trigger for bullying you might as well say a short skirt is a trigger for rape. It's flawed logic." (Via WGHP)
A father, who also has a son who is a "My Little Pony" fan wrote a piece in Slate about the issue. "It’s hard for any kid to bend outside assumed identities, but it’s particularly hard for boys who want to embrace their femininity. Women’s magazines and princess movies are still a horror show of female subjugation, but the battle against that involves encouraging girls to be as masculine as they want to be ... But men and boys are mostly shamed for expressing anything outside of the macho ideal."
GRAYSON: "It made me feel devastated, I didn't think I was going to get the reaction that I got..."
"The focus should have been on educating the entire school body rather than isolating the child who's actually being bullied." (Via ABC)
And that triggered an out pouring of support for Grayson. A Change.org petition urging the school to allow Grayson to bring the backpack back to school reached more than 11,000 signatures.
And the "Support for Grayson" Facebook page currently has more than 71,000 likes. Grayson's mom met with the school's superintendent Thursday. She wrote on the page "We had a real heart-to-heart talk ... I strongly feel we can work together to make things better for Grayson and all the students in our school system."
Now, it's against the law for the school to publicly discuss matters about students but "all options" are being considered so Grayson can get back in school — "My Little Pony" backpack in tow.
