Don't Silence Breast Cancer Awareness
Just because they don't have breasts doesn't mean that young men can't care about cancer. A middle schooler who goes by the nickname "LG" wore a cancer awareness bracelet to school that says "I [heart] boobies," but before the day was out, his principal had told him to hide the message by turning the bracelet inside out.
Apparently, Roosevelt Middle School has not gotten the important message that early detection is essential to the survival of breast cancer and that it's important that men and women be able to talk openly about this particular disease. Telling a student to hide his breast cancer awareness bracelet perpetuates the idea that breasts are shameful if not obscene. That culture of shame discourages women from getting tested, diagnosed, and treated in a timely manner. When they get treated early, women are much more likely to survive breast cancer.
Tell Roosevelt High School to let LG and others wear their "I [Heart symbol] Boobies" bracelets proudly and in support of a great cause.
We the undersigned are sad that you would tell a young man that he cannot wear a breast cancer awareness bracelet to school. Your action perpetuates the message that breasts are somehow shameful and not to be acknowledged. That, in turn, perpetuates a culture of secrecy in which women do not get their breast cancer tested, diagnosed, and treated in a timely fashion. With breast cancer, open communication is essential to good health. Please encourage your students to talk openly about this important health hazard rather than hushing them up.
