Ariana Iacona belongs to a small religious group called the Church of Body Modification, which believes that altering the human body (through piercings, among other things) is a spiritual ritual. The Church is legally recognized as a tax-exempt religious entity. But the legal status of her church hasn’t stopped her school district from claiming that a nose piercing Ariana has is against school rules– and suspending her for more than half the total school days thus far this semester.
Not that it should matter, but the nose piercing that under school rules is “distracting” and inappropriate is a small stud no larger than a tiny mole. We aren’t talking about something huge or actually disruptive– although I doubt Ariana’s classmates would notice any kind of piercing for long, or be unable to finish schoolwork because of it.
The ACLU of North Carolina has filed a federal lawsuit on Ariana’s behalf, arguing that her religion is clearly a valid exception (which the school district’s own rules allow) and that suspending her is unconstitutional.
It seems to be a pretty open and shut case: girl belongs to valid religious group, girl’s religious activity isn’t so disruptive as to actually stop daily school activity, said religious activity is most definitely protected under the first amendment.
Body piercings, tattoos and other modifications have a history as long as humanity. Check out the links in this paragraph for webpages about different things people around the world (and in the U.S.) do to themselves for religious and cultural reasons. Scarification (Scarab Body Art, Scar Wars) is the most dramatic, but there are all manner of tattoos and henna and piercings. It’s a big, wide world.
