‘boobies’ bracelets banned

“Boobies” talk isn’t allowed at a Washington high school that has barred students from wearing breast cancer awareness bracelets.

Klahowya Secondary School principal Ryan Stevens told the Kitsap Sun it’s not the awareness campaign that’s the problem — it’s how the message is being expressed.

The bracelets have “I (heart) boobies. Keep a breast” printed on them.

Stevens said the “boobies” reference has caused problems in classrooms with students making inappropriate gestures.

Some staff members who are cancer survivors have also said they find the bracelets offensive, Stevens told the newspaper.

California-based Keep-A-Breast Foundation distributes the bracelets. The foundation’s goal is to help eradicate breast cancer by exposing young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support.

The bracelets are meant to “act as an awareness-raising tool, allowing young people to engage and start talking about a subject that is scary and taboo and making it positive and upbeat,” the foundation said in a release.

Brittany Indvik, 16, told local KIRO TV the bracelets are for a good cause and the school crackdown is trampling on students’ freedom of expression.

“My grandma has cancer, breast cancer. Friends of ours have cancer and it stands up for something,” Indvik said.

The school has told students the bracelets must be left at home or worn inside out so the slogan isn’t visible while on campus.

The Winnipeg Sun
Thu May 13 2010
Page: 17
Section: News
Byline: BY QMI AGENCY