All Damian Garcia wants to do is wear his black robe when he and his fellow high school classmates graduate next week.
Officials at St. Pius X Catholic School in Albuquerque say no. Because Garcia was born as a girl, the school insists he must wear a white robe along with the other girls.
Television station KRQE reports that Garcia was born Brandi Garcia, but he identifies as a male and even had a legal name-change last year. Fellow students, teachers and faculty call him Damian and so does his family.
School officials say St. Pius goes by what the student's birth certificate states if there's any question on what gender-color they wear at graduation.
Garcia's family calls the school's decision heartbreaking. The teen says he would rather not walk than embarrass himself by wearing a white robe.