By Alyson Ward STAFF WRITER
A sign painted years ago above a bank of lockers at the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center admonished middle-school girls to “act like a lady.”
Students at the Fourth Ward campus will start this school year next week with a loftier goal: to change the world.
The original message — “The more you act like a lady, the more he’ll act like a gentleman” — was painted over this weekend after critics called the quotation “misogynist” and “victim-blaming.” A visitor snapped a photo and shared it on social media, sparking a viral debate.
“This outrageous victim-blaming message is painted on the wall of a MIDDLE SCHOOL in @HoustonISD, blatantly perpetuating the horrific myth that girls are to blame for sexual violence against them,” Houston writer Stephanie Wittels Wachs tweeted. “Absolutely disgusting. Paint over it now.”
Social media posts called the quote “outdated” and “outrageously sexist.” They pointed out that the phrase is attributed to Sydney Biddle Barrows, an escort service owner known in the 1980s as the “Mayflower Madam.”
Others, meanwhile, called it “the truth” and “the best advice ever dished out at a middle school.”
HISD officials responded with a statement: “The quote does not align with HISD values, and it will be taken down.”
Houston ISD replaced the quote by Sunday afternoon with a message that reads: “Do not wait for someone else to come and speak for you. It’s you who can change the world.”
The new quote is attributed to Malala Yousafzai, the 21-year-old Pakistani activist for girls education who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Kids at Gregory-Lincoln will be reading her book, “Malala’s Magic Pencil,” later this year, according to HISD.
“Bravo to @HoustonISD for addressing this issue swiftly and tactfully,” Wachs tweeted Sunday. alyson.ward@chron.com