My mom always taught me to be honest, especially with myself. So by my junior year at Fleming Island High School in Clay County, Fla., I told my family and friends that I am a lesbian. My mom was torn at first but soon became my champion.

Last September she and I went to have my senior picture taken. My senior class was told, without gender being specified, that we must wear either a drape or a tuxedo for our senior picture. After watching the girl in front of me have her picture taken in a drape, I decided I would be more comfortable in a tuxedo.

I thought I had a choice, but I was wrong.

Our school principal, Sam Ward, said my picture was not "uniform" or "traditional," so it would not be allowed. Hoping Clay County superintendent David Owens wouldn't be as narrow-minded, my mom asked him to intervene. But he backed Ward's decision, saying, "Girls wear drapes; boys wear tuxes."

I was blown away that they could be so unfair, so I decided to go public. My story was broadcast across the country. Owens was shown on CNN saying that I was using the yearbook as a "platform" for my sexuality, which is not even remotely true. About 200 people attended a school board meeting on the issue February 24. My mom spoke and got a standing ovation. Out of the two dozen others who had something to say, more than half supported me. But the school board's attorney said the decision was up to Superintendent Owens, who told the crowd my picture would not be allowed in the yearbook in any way.

While disappointed, I learned more from this experience than from anything in my life. I learned that even one person can try and make a difference in the struggle against prejudice. And I am now even more comfortable with who I am.