HAMILTON, Ohio -- An Ohio teenager is fighting for his right to wear makeup at school, but school leaders said it's a distraction.

"They're gender stereotyping. He's being sexually discriminated against. Nowhere in the rules does it say that males can't wear make-up" said Mindy Ball.

Should Boy Be Allowed To Wear Makeup?

The Hamilton mother said she stands 100 percent behind her son, 13-year-old Matt Allsup, an eighth-grader at Garfield Middle School who wears black eye makeup, lipstick and fingernail polish, NewsChannel5 sister station WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reported.

On Monday, Allsup was told to wash the makeup off his face, with the assistant principal telling him it was distracting and against dress code.

"When I spoke to the principal," Ball said, "She told me it was distracting because of the black makeup and I said, 'Well, I'll get him pink,' and she said, 'No, because he's a male, he's not allowed to wear it, the public don't accept males wearing make-up.'"

"None of my classmates found it distracting or anything -- and it's not extreme. I don't see why I can't wear it," said Allsup.

Ball and her son point out that every student is required to wear a character badge –- and one of the qualities it pledges is acceptance.

"It says, 'Do you value the uniqueness of all students?' And they're not letting me be unique," said Allsup. "I don't see why we have to wear them if we're not able to express who we are."

Freedom of expression is what Allsup and his mom said this is all about. They vow to fight the school's ban on his black makeup and plan to hire an attorney to take the issue to court.

"I don't think it's fair if he has to take his makeup off. I think every student in the district should have to take theirs off," said Ball.

Hamilton City School District spokeswoman Joni Copas said after Allsup washed his face, there was no further discipline.

She said if makeup is too harsh -- whether on a boy or a girl -- the student should be asked to wipe it off.