A high school in Wisconsin is accused of body shaming the school's cheerleaders during a banquet when a coach reportedly gave out "Big Booty Judy" and "Big Boobie Strube" awards.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a letter to the Kenosha Unified School District on Tuesday stating that the district needs to take"corrective action" or face a lawsuit after learning about the inappropriate awards given to the cheerleaders at Tremper High School in March.
Some of the awards given at the banquet given at restaurant in Kenosha given to the girls included the "Big Booty Judy" award given to one cheerleader and the"Big Boobie Strube" award given to another cheerleader on the squad. One cheerleader received the "String Bean" award for being the thinnest cheerleader, while another girl with brown hair was given a blonde wig as an award because she was identified as the "ditzy girl," according to the ACLU.
In the letter, which was first reported by the New York Times, the coaches of the teams allegedly "laugh hysterically" and made comments about the girl's appearances. One coach commented on the girl who was given the "Big Boobie Strube" award, claiming that it was "a feat" for the student to complete cheer routines with her "enormous boobs," according to the letter.
"The district needs to take action to make the schools a safe place for all students," Asma Kadri Keeler, ACLU of Wisconsin staff attorney, told WITI. "To say that there is no evidence of wrongdoing ignores the fact that testimonials are evidence of wrongdoing."
The group's letter also noted that students at Bradford High School from the Kenosha Unified School District were instructed to watch a movie about sexual assault when a college freshman by the name of Melissa was sexually assaulted by a fraternity brother. The students were asked to answer questions about the movie, with one of the questions asking "What could have Melissa done differently to have avoided her sexual assault (provide at least 4 examples)?" The ACLU states the question blames the victim for the assault.
Taya Ruder, a spokeswoman with the Kenosha Unified School District, told Newsweek in a statement stating that the school could not comment on the investigation, but said these type of awards will not be given to students at future banquets.
"In regards to the Tremper incident, a clear expectation has been set that awards of this nature are not acceptable and are not to be given at Tremper cheerleading banquets going forward," the statement read. "As for the investigation, we are not at liberty to share personnel matters."
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