CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- School districts in at least five states have banned bracelets meant to raise awareness of and money for breast cancer.
That's because the bracelets, distributed by the Keep A Breast Foundation of Carlsbad, Calif., bear the message "I love boobies," USA Today reports. Some schools have instituted a complete ban while others allow students to wear the rubber bracelets turned around so the message doesn't show.
"When we had an assembly the first day of school, I basically told the students we are not insensitive to the cause," Jim Aisenbrey, principal of Baltic High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., said. "I think everybody in the gym, including myself, has had a family member or relative or friend who has dealt with the issue. I do think there are more proper ways to bring this plight to the attention of people, and I don't think this is a proper way."
Shaney Jo Darden, founder of Keep A Breast, says the bracelets are meant to be provocative, but she does not think they are offensive.
"That's the whole idea: It's getting people to talk about breast cancer, it's getting people to share their feelings about how this disease has impacted their life," she said. "The bracelet is doing what it's meant to do -- it's making people talk."
