Kentucky high school changes ’Stallions’ name because it is sexist

A Kentucky high school bowed to political correctness pressure and so-called public outcry over the use of its mascot and its name “Stallions” and is planning to change them both because it was considered sexist.

Lexington's new Frederick Douglass High School changed its mind Tuesday — one day after announcing the Stallions name — and said students will now choose a new horse-themed mascot instead of the manly Stallion image.

Score another one for the PC Police and overly sensitive feelings.

The change of heart came after a Lexington woman created a petition on the change.org website against naming athletic teams and the school mascot after gender-specific personas.

Diane Cahill said she created the petition, to be delivered to Fayette County school board members, after the mascot was announced Monday. The petition said in part, that “it is inappropriate and sexist” that the mascot and name for the female sports teams is the Stallions.

The Change.org petition called for the Stallion to be replaced:

"This is inappropriate and sexist when you consider the definition from “YourDictionary” …”The definition of a stallion is a male horse that has not been castrated, used for breeding or is slang for a powerful and virile man who has a lot of lovers” …

School officials say they’ve received other community input about the Stallion's message, negative and positive, but ultimately decided to let incoming students decide on the mascot, albeit keeping with a “horse theme.”

Photo by Tony Mangia

"How did they come up with this? The connotation of stallions pertaining to a girls’ softball team or basketball team just seemed really, really strange to me — a male breeding horse,” Cahill said.

Anita Courtney invoked Title IX, noting that the Stallion “leaves out 50 percent of the student population” and is “not in keeping with the spirit of […] gender equity in sports.”

“[T]here was absolutely no intent to offend or upset anyone,” Fayette County Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk said.

“I’m very grateful to Superintendent Caulk for listening to our concerns [and] for reassessing this choice by getting input from students [and] parents," said Cahill.

Can’t wait for the Geldings football team to show up on the playing field — or maybe the Nags.