Offensive or Awareness? “I love boobies” Could Head to U.S. Supreme Court

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The lines between what’s disruptive and offensive in school can sometimes appear thin. It happened in Pennsylvania when 2 girls hoped wearing “I love boobies” bracelets would help raise awareness about breast cancer. Instead, the school suspended them. The state’s supreme court ruled in favor of the girls and now the district is taking its case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Superintendent Lynn Wright says whether it’s clothing or bracelets, anything that serves as a distraction or disruptive should be taken seriously.

“Whenever an administrator makes a ruling or what they feel like is in the best interest for the school, if their legs are pulled out from under them, it does take away from the total discipline in the schools,” said Superintendent Wright.

He knows the seriousness of raising awareness. His wife is a breast cancer survivor.

“All people that have family members or have experienced cancer themselves appreciate the awareness and all the efforts that’s been put forth into finding cures for cancer, but there are different ways to do this and you don’t want to offend someone or invade their privacy in certain ways of doing it,” said Wright.

People we spoke to disagree. Karen Turner is a nurse and thinks the bracelets are doing what they’re suppose to.

” I looked at the bracelets and to me they weren’t offensive at all.” I’ve seen people who have gone 7 years without having a mammogram and come in with cancer and die and I think that anything that could make people more aware and go in for those yearly mammograms that is great and we need it,” said Columbus resident Karen Turner.

” When my mother had it, I was 18, and I really just thought, oh that’s no big deal I really didn’t think that she could die and when I got to be about 30 I figured, oh my gosh, my mother could’ve died at that age, so I think the younger age, that gets to their point of view,” said Columbus resident Barbara Mooney.

” I don’t think ‘I heart boobies is too much. I think if the students want to stand up for something like that, then that’s totally agreeable. They should stand up for something like that,” said Mississippi State senior Zach Wright.

The district in Pennsylvania is just one of several school districts across the country that’s banned the bracelets.

They were distributed by the nonprofit “Keep A Breast Foundation” based out of California.