(CNN) — When administrators at White Pass Jr. Sr. High School in Randle, Washington, asked students to dress up as their favorite celebrities for Spirit Week, Mason Mudge and Chandler Krueger did just that.
Mudge came as Miss America.
And Krueger dressed up as Nicki Minaj.
But Principal Gary Stamper reportedly wasn’t feeling their school spirit. According to CNN affiliate KING5 News, Stamper told the boys to change — or go home.
“If they really wanted Spirit Week, then why punish somebody for being spirited and all that?” Krueger asks.
The 10th graders refused to switch clothing and left school. The next day, many of their classmates skipped American Pride Day and instead came to school dressed as the opposite gender in protest of what had happened.
Superintendent Chuck Wyborney told KING5 News that things should have been handled differently with Krueger and Mudge. None of the students on the second day were asked to change.
“I think it’s really awesome that all the kids support me and support the decisions that I made,” Mudge said.
More schools around the country are adopting acceptance policies in support of transgender children and children who don’t conform to gender norms. Wyborney told KING5 News that this was a learning opportunity for both students and staff.
