Nathan Warmack Update 10/06

**~ beth** · 3rd October 06, 12:44 PM

Hidy guys.

I have been pretty much out of the loop for awhile due to work and other rather time consuming situations in life...I don't know if you guys will even remember me, but I became active in the Scottish forums last year, and ended up stumbling into a situation that became a fairly big fight..the kilt war involving a young man who wanted to wear his kilt to a Jackson, MO school dance and was refused admittance due to his kilted attire... So, I have been out of circuit for awhile, but I wanted to drop in and let you guys in on some information.

I don't know if you all remember Nathan Warmack who was in the battle for the right to wear his kilt to his school dance last fall, but I talked to his parents last night. It seems that the school board has neither enacted nor enforced the promises they made in their contract to the Warmacks. The Warmacks promised not to sue the school district provided that they live up to their apology and promises to make changes in the district policy.

The Warmacks did not sue.

The Jackson R2 School District did not live up to a single one of thier contractual promises.

At the moment, Kurt Lyons who represented the Warmacks pro bono is not responsive to the Warmacks' efforts to pursue the issue. While the Warmacks are no longer associated with the school district since Nathan went on to college, they do want to make sure that students who follow are allowed to wear their cultural attire to school functions.

They are looking for any legal group who might be willing to take on the case since the chances of finding a lawyer willing to fight it within their local small town area are pretty slim. Do any of you know of anyone in, perhaps, the St. Louis area who takes on cases like this?

Thanks,
~ beth

**Dirk Skene** · 14th October 06, 08:59 PM

Even though I personally despise the ACLU have they tried them? Maybe they'll do something useful for a change.

**Blu (Ontario)** · 15th October 06, 07:12 AM

Has the R2 School district won the war?

Interesting that the issue no longer seems to generate any interest with the membership here.

Did the school board realize they could promise anything to calm the waters and then they literally watch their problem walk out the door?

Sad but predictable I suppose.

.

**bubba** · 15th October 06, 07:13 AM

Common practice blu. That's why they try to keep these things out of court, that way they aren't legally bound by any agreement.

**RockyR** · 15th October 06, 07:35 AM

How about an update on NATHAN? How's he doing in college? Did the radio DJ in Boston ever get him and his family on a plane to Scotland? Did he ever get the "full outfit" he was promised? Has he been wearing the kilt in college?

The problem with suing the school now, after Nathan's graduated is that it'll look "greedy" and pointless and garner less public attention as Nathan's already graduated.

**Raphael** · 15th October 06, 08:24 AM

I found the Nathan Warmack case misleading from the beginning. Kilted or not, Nathan was sloppy dressed. I will refuse entry to the prom as well. If he was properly dressed, I would support him 100%. too bad, so sad! Next.

**Blu (Ontario)** · 15th October 06, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Raphael

I found the Nathan Warmack case misleading from the beginning. Kilted or not, Nathan was sloppy dressed. I will refuse entry to the prom as well. If he was properly dressed, I would support him 100%. too bad, so sad! Next.

Wow... that's harsh.... were you following the same storey I was??

**Rigged** · 15th October 06, 03:58 PM

They backed themselves into a corner by couching the issue as cultural rather than an equal-rights issue.

A loin-cloth might be cultural attire, but entirely inappropriate in a school setting. Ultimately, the school administrators get to decide those issues.

However, they can't let one group of students wear loin-cloths and not allow another group to wear the same or a similar garment. That's descrimination and it can be legally challenged.

By couching the issue as cultural, they really had no basis for a lawsuit. The school made nice for a while until the publicity died down. Case closed.

I can remember boys being sent home from school and men being sent home from work due to their "unkempt" appearance -- their hair was longer than the tops of their ears. I'm sure some of you older guys remember "crew-cuts". We know that it wasn't about guys looking "unkempt". It was about guys looking like girls, with all the cultural baggage around perceptions of masculinity.

That, in my opinion, is at the heart of the issue of men wearing kilts in general and specifically boys and men wearing kilts to school or at work.

So, while we might disagree on style, the principal of fair treatment should be the higher priority.

As much as it sucks to be discriminated against, it's totally understandable to be in denial about it and treat the problem as if it's something else. In fact, sometimes that's the smart thing to do. Other times, it's not.

**Ugly Bear** · 16th October 06, 04:09 AM

Originally Posted by Raphael

I found the Nathan Warmack case misleading from the beginning. Kilted or not, Nathan was sloppy dressed. I will refuse entry to the prom as well.

It wasn't a prom, just a fall dance. I saw a photo of him for the event, and he was dressed just fine. The principal didn't throw him out for being "sloppy dressed," he threw him out for wearing a kilt. He overreacted. As you are.

I can't help but suspect that the people on this board complaining that Nathan wasn't dressed to the nines ("dog's dinner" was a phrase used at one point) for a non-prom school function are just adopting a really weak excuse. Nathan was harassed for wearing a kilt, and guys on a board to promote kilt-wearing can't even support him. That's a shame.