US: School bans 9-year-old boy from wearing My Little Pony bag
A North Carolina school has ordered a 9-year old boy to stop wearing his My Little Pony bag, as it makes him a target for bullies.
According to ABC News, Grayson Bruce was told by Candler Elementary School that his lunch bag, which features the character Rainbow Dash from the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is a “trigger for bullying”, and that he should stop bringing it in.
The 9-year-old said of the bullying: “They were taking it a little too far with, you know, punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names. Stuff that really shouldn’t happen.”
His mother, Nicola Bruce, thinks the school should try to punish the actual bullies, instead of focussing on her son.
She said: “Saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying, is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape. It’s flawed logic, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Buncombe County Schools stood by its decision to stop him from bringing the bag in, and said: “An initial step was taken to immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom. Buncombe County Schools takes bullying very seriously, and we will continue to take steps to resolve this issue.”
Despite being perceived as ‘girly’, the TV show has built up a large following of male fans, old and young.
According to his family’s Twitter feed, Morones has since woken up and is progressing well in his treatment, but is likely to have suffered permanent damage
