Lance Sanderson, 19, asked permission to bring a male date to an upcoming dance during the end of his junior year at Christian Brothers High School (CBHS), an all-boys private school. He was told via email by his principal that he “really struggle[d]” with allowing Sanderson to bring a boy to the dance. When Sanderson posted the email to Twitter, he was reprimanded and told he could no longer be a school photographer, as he had been, even though he was not accused of violating any rules.


The school had no rules against bringing another male to a dance. Their code of conduct still states, “All CBHS students should feel safe, secure and accepted regardless of color, race, background, appearance, popularity, athletic ability, intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, religion or nationality.”

In the days leading up to the dance, the school began to broadcast daily messages over the intercom that students were not allowed to bring boys from other schools as dates.
The lawsuit states that this left Sanderson feeling “bullied by both the school administration and by some of the students.”
“As a private school, CBHS held itself out to be nondiscriminatory with regard to sexual orientation,” Sanderson’s attorney, Manis, told NBC. “In our eyes, it seems very clear those were hollow words…They were not interested in treating [Sanderson] the same as other students.”
He chose not to attend the dance, and CBHS sent him home for a “cooling off” period of indeterminate length. When he returned a week later, he says he felt unwelcome.
“Everyone thought I had been expelled,” Sanderson said. “It was pretty clear that I wasn’t welcome on campus…I was sure it wasn’t going to be good for me to be there for the rest of the year.”
“I was very active at school,” he said. “It was a big part of my life, and it was all of a sudden gone. I was alone 24/7.”
Sanderson and the school worked out an agreement where he would finish his senior year with online classes and at-home study. He received his diploma that spring but did not attend the graduation ceremony.
With his lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Circuit Court, Sanderson is seeking up to $1 million from CBHS on claims including breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and a violation under Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments.



“We have confirmation that CBHS receives federal funding and also potentially state funding for certain programs at the school,” Howard Manis, one of Sanderson’s lawyers, said. “That makes them responsible for following the letter of the law under Title IX.”

Originally posted by DevonDreams

19? Girl...

Originally posted by DancingShoes

He's a junior sis . . .

Hope he wins.

Originally posted by DancingShoes

He's a junior sis . . .

Hope he wins.

Originally posted by DancingShoes

He's a junior sis . . .

Hope he wins.

Originally posted by NewRihannaStan

19 and in highschool should be his main focus..

Originally posted by katycat737

I was like 16 as a junior...19 is kinda old

OT: Hope he wins too

Originally posted by DevonDreams

19.. and in 11th grade? Wow.

Originally posted by DevonDreams

19? Girl...

and it's a Catholic school?


what did he expect?

Originally posted by DevonDreams

Anyway it's a Catholic school.. If homosexuality is against their religion then they shouldn't be forced to do that.

Originally posted by Nikolai.

You should be in your first year in college at 19

That's ****ed up tho I hope he wins

Originally posted by Tropez

You guys need to read better.

He graduated already. He's 19 now and suing the school for what they did in the past. This could've took place when he was 17 for instance.