A transgender teen in Mississippi chose to skip his graduation because he would not be allowed to dress like a girl, after a judge upheld the school district's graduation dress code.

The teen from the Harrison County School District has declared himself a woman since freshman year, even wearing a blue dress to the Harrison Central High School prom. However, according to CNN, the unnamed teen and his mother both signed a document on March 14, 2023, that stated that they agreed to follow the conditions required to participate in the graduation ceremony.

The Harrison County School District’s policy on graduation stated, “Students are expected to wear dress shoes, dress clothes (dresses or dressy pant-suit for girls and dress pants, shirt, and tie for the boys).”

On the Friday before the ceremony, a federal judge in Gulfport, Mississippi, denied a motion filed by the family requesting the teen be allowed to wear a dress and heels underneath the graduation gown.

“Graduation school dress policy is girls have to wear white dresses and boys wear a white button up shirt with a tie and black pants and socks with black dress shoes,” said the mother, Samantha Brown. “This has never been an issue before. We felt like we were abiding by the dress code according to what she identifies as.”

\u201cA transgender student in Mississippi skipped her high school graduation last night after a federal judge denied an emergency plea to allow her to go dressed as a girl. 1/\u201d

— Isabel Rosales (@Isabel Rosales) 1684705176

Both the mother and the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family, have rejected the idea that governing bodies are making decisions based on the teen's biological sex.

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi have filed a lawsuit against Harrison County School District (HCSD) after school officials told a graduating transgender student she could not wear a dress or heeled shoes to her graduating ceremony as requested by her and her parents," the ACLU said in a press release.

"She has been looking forward to finally walking across the stage at her high school graduation this Saturday, May 20, and picked out a dress and pair of heeled shoes months ago to wear under her traditional cap and gown in accordance with the school’s dress code for female students," the statement continued.

As well, Mitchell King, superintendent of Harrison County School District, reportedly testified in court documents that the district refers to students' birth certificates to record whether they are male or female. The family alleges that the superintendent told them that the teen “is still a boy,” therefore “he needs to wear pants, socks, and shoes, like a boy" at graduation.

The mother also called the school district's decision "deeply offensive" and a "discriminatory action" toward her "daughter."

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Critics and politicians are aghast at a recent job posting by the National Health Services of the United Kingdom, offering up to £115,000 (approximately $140,000 USD) for a position called the "Director for Lived Experience."

The job calls for an "interpersonally talented and strategic bridge builder" who is responsible for "maintaining the highest levels of Lived Experience Practice and amplifying the voices of those using" the service.

Critics came out in droves against the job ad, including Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager of the TaxPayers' Alliance, a British "non-partisan" campaign for lower taxes.

"Well-paid non-jobs like this are a kick in the teeth for hard-pressed taxpayers," he told the Daily Mail, which also reports that the NHS has referred to "experiencing racism or discrimination" as examples of a "lived experience."

The salary for this role is more than four times the salary of a newly trained nurse in the U.K., who would make the equivalent of about $33,000.

The role, whose duties also include facilitating "cultural changes," comes at a time when British politicians worry that the health care system is on the verge of collapse.

"Having worked up close now with the health service, I don't think the model of the NHS as it was set up 70 years ago is sustainable for the future," said ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid to Sky News.

Javid previously said that he would cut jobs related to "waste and wokery" and demanded urgent action from the government to create better leadership at the health service.

\u201cAre you an \u201cinterpersonally talented strategic bridge builder\u201d? If so, you too can earn \u00a3115k working for the cash strapped NHS as a \u201cDirector of Lived Experience\u201d. \nAlternatively, we could scrap all these ridiculous non jobs and pay frontline workers properly\u201d

— Isabel Oakeshott (@Isabel Oakeshott) 1671100530

The NHS also took plenty of heat in November 2022 for advertising a series of "diversity officer" jobs that totaled over $850,000 in the span of one month.

Sixteen jobs for diversity, equality, inclusion, and well-being officers were posted in October 2022 that could have otherwise gone to hiring upwards of 20 nurses or paramedics.

Annual salaries of diversity, equality, or inclusion roles typically double that of actual health care workers in the U.K.

New Health Secretary Steve Barclay has yet to make any comment on the issue of woke positions at the government agency.