By Buck Wolf

Nov. 2, 2001 --  You could say Christian Silbereis made a real ass of himself this Halloween, but you'd really need a lesson in anatomy.

The 17-year-old high school student from Ann Arbor, Mich., won first place at an after-school costume party at Community High School. He came dressed as a vagina.

With all due respect to witches, ghosts and goblins, school administrators found Silbereis' vagina costume just a little too scary, even for Halloween. School officials suspended him Wednesday for the rest of the week.

I'd describe the costume, but if you've taken high school biology, that's not necessary. Silbereis assured The Ann Arbor News, "It's anatomically correct."

Nevertheless, students of the body might take exception to certain embellishments — including a pink cape and T-shirt bearing the image of a fetus.

"It's just another body part," he said. "They teach us about it in school."

Mom couldn't be be more proud. "There's nothing inappropriate about what's given all of us life," said Rosalyn Tulip, who works as a midwife. She says her son respects women and their bodies.

In fact, Tulip made the costume for herself and wore it to a party last year. She told her son he might make some people at school uncomfortable, but she supported his decision to wear it.

Not in the School Dress Code

Maggie Jewett, the school's assistant dean, told The Associated Press staff members were outraged at the costume. At midday, she came into his class and told him to either remove it or go home.

But when classes ended and students gathered for the party, Silbereis pulled it back on. His classmates were so thrilled that they voted him first prize for best costume.

A school spokesman would not elaborate on the suspension, saying that student discipline is confidential.

Tulip said she supports her son's costume choice. But she says he shouldn't have put it back on after the teacher told him to take it off.

Now comes the hard questions: What message did school administrators send out when they suspended this student? And would you let your child wear such an outfit for Halloween?