Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2009 October 22-31

Ceara Sturgis, 17, doesn't even own a dress. Sturgis says she's openly gay, and she wants to wear a tuxedo in her high school yearbook senior photograph. But school officials at Wesson Attendance Center in Jackson, Mississippi, say only boys can dress in tuxedos. Sturgis, her family, and the American Civil Liberties Union say they may take the matter to court.

The British Performing Right Society has apologized to Sandra Burt, an assistant at a grocery store in Clackmannanshire. The group had threatened to have her prosecuted for not having a performance license after discovering she sometimes sings while stocking shelves. The store owner had previously gotten rid of a radio after the group complained customers might hear it.

In England, the Dagenham Council has banned swimmers from swimming the length of a council pool. Swimmers must now swim the width of the pool. Officials say the switch makes it easier for lifeguards to protect everyone using the pool.

Hammond, Louisiana, justice of the peace Keith Bardwell has refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. Bardwell says he isn't racist but he worries about the future of mixed-race children.

City officials in Kensington, Maryland, have banned children older than five from Reinhardt Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The move is aimed at blocking students at a nearby private school from using the park during recess.