Mississippi high school faces backlash after incident facebook post At a 2026 celebration, a transgender student was given a name and appeared to have his appearance digitally altered.
of postThe article, published Sunday by Biloxi’s D’Iberville High School, congratulated salutatorian Jonas Hall with the caption, “Pride, tradition and excellence. Congratulations to our DHS salutatorian,” before identifying him by his late name.
The post quickly drew criticism online, generating more than 1,300 comments, more than 650 reactions, and nearly 90 shares as commenters accused the school of transphobia and rallied behind Hall, who identifies as a transmasculinist.
Many commenters also claimed that the school edited Hall’s senior portrait before posting it online. “They photoshopped his mustache away to make him look more ‘feminine’,” wrote commenter Michaela Boffman.
Tara Shay Montgomery, a Biloxi drag queen and local LGBTQ+ advocate, said she has been contacted by several parents involved with Hall and other students.
The selfie shows Jonas Hall in real life, sporting a mustache, which the school removed for posting on social media.Jonas Hall
“Several concerned mothers of Jonas’ friends first contacted me about a total of approximately six students being excluded from the yearbook due to the gender-specific dress code,” Montgomery told The Advocate. “Then a post about Jonas dropped from DHS and one of the same mothers shared it with me and it made me sick to my stomach with disgust and sadness for him.”
Montgomery shared a selfie posted by Hall wearing a U.S. Army Junior ROTC uniform, where she was awarded a medal, ribbon and other honors for being a “distinguished cadet.” His mustache is clearly visible in the image, but commenters said it appeared to be missing in the version posted by the school.
“You can see that his mustache has been edited to look like a shadow and his lips are pink,” Montgomery said.
While most commenters congratulated Hall, they criticized the school’s response to the post. “It’s a crazy job to shout out a student’s name on social media. Congratulations Jonas!!!!,” Storm Hall wrote.
Some encouraged people to contact school officials directly. “Please call the high school and file a complaint. This is bullying. The phone number is listed on the high school page. Email is also listed,” McKenna Stone wrote.
The backlash also reignited criticism of several students, including Hall, who were allegedly excluded from the school’s yearbook for not adhering to a gender-specific dress code for their senior portraits.
Douglas Myatt, a Mississippi man, was one of the dozens of people who reshared the post. accused the school Targeting transgender students.
“d’Iberville should be ashamed,” he wrote. “Despite ‘Pride,’ they let this student’s name die and removed his mustache. They also permanently removed him and several other students from the yearbook for wearing a tuxedo in their graduation photo. Teens are literally killing themselves because of transphobia, but the school has chosen to continue to be prejudiced. It’s disappointing to say the least. The message of support for Jonas has restored some of my faith in humanity.”
Not all responses were supportive. Some commenters posted anti-LGBTQ+ statements or questioned whether Hall’s legal name should take precedence over his chosen name in the post.
defender D’Iberville High School Principal Jennifer Courtney and Harrison County Superintendent William Bentz did not respond to repeated calls and emails.
D’Iberville High School’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for Saturday. Montgomery said local allies and parents are organizing a peaceful demonstration in support of Hall during the ceremony.
“I will also be working with Concerned Mothers and other local allies to hold a peaceful sit-in at the actual graduation ceremony this Saturday, so they can not only have a sense of pride, but also support in real time in their communities,” she said. “We feel it’s important to meet them where they are, in their current situation and environment, and show up for them, not just in the bubble of a safe space. They need to know that we’re there in real life. It’s not just about pride!”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
