Retired Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) is questioning why a high school in Maryland denied a diploma to a Native student who wore a bolo tie to his graduation ceremonies.

Campbell, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, wore bolo ties all the time during his twenty-plus years in Washington. "It seems to me that if the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate give latitude to members of the highest body in the land, a high school shouldn't be so uptight to deny a kid his cultural right to wear a different type of neckwear," he told The Washington Post.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) also questioned the school's actions. "In Montana and anyplace in Indian country, a bolo tie is dressed up," he told the paper after reading about the story on Friday. "A tie is a tie."

Thomas Benya, 17, wore the tie in a tribute to his Cherokee heritage. But school officials said it was too skinny to qualify as a tie and refused to give him his diploma. They say he can pick it up later.

Get the Story:
Montana Leader Defends Bolo Ties (The Washington Post 6/11)
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Bolo tie creates a bind for graduating senior (AP 6/11)

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Native student denied diploma after wearing bolo tie (6/10)