Thursday, March 18, 2010

Do school districts have nothing better to do?

In case you haven't heard by now, some school in Mississippi canceled their prom because one of their students wanted to wear a tux and bring her girlfriend.

A court fight is brewing after a Mississippi high school canceled its prom.

It all started when Constance McMillen, a lesbian student, asked to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The school in Fulton, Mississippi said she couldn't saying a same-sex couple would cause distractions.

"I just want people to know it's not alright for schools to do that." "I was raised to be yourself and proud of who your are," McMillen said. "It's like they're saying …don't be openly gay."

The American Civil Liberties Union calls it a violation of her rights and demanded the school change its mind. That's when the school canceled the prom.

"I just want to be able to go to prom and be myself and bring my date, just like everyone else gets to," McMillen said.

McMillen was told the school instituted the rule to prevent same-sex couples from attending because students were abusing discount ticket prices over the higher priced single tickets.

The 18-year-old senior McMillen expressed no regrets. "I've had people come to me and tell me I ruined their senior year… It hurts. There's nothing I can do about it."


Now, whichever way you lean on the political spectrum, you can't deny that this is wrong. These nuts are punishing the entire junior and senior class (I'm assuming it's a junior/senior prom) because they don't want to deal with what they think will be repercussions from having a gay couple at the prom.

Here's the thing, though...what harm will it do? If I'm not mistaken, this is 2010, not 1910! As stuck in their old ways as they are down in Mississippi, they need to get with the program.

When they canceled this prom, did they even stop to think about the other students? You know, the girls that have already shelled out an arm and a leg for their dresses, been on crash diets since after the holidays so they can fit into said dresses, and have sold their souls to certain hairdressers just to get a reservation.

I swear...people need to get over this homophobia and accept it as a way of life, much the same way they did with segregation. The more I hear about some gay person being denied something like this or not being able to get married, etc., the more I am inclined to compare it to those Civil Rights battles in the 60s. Sure, its not the same, but is it really that different?

I feel so sorry for this poor girl. I didn't go to my prom, but that was my choice. Looking back at it, I sort of regret that decision, so I can imagine what it'll be like when she's my age and wasn't able to go her prom because of some closed minded school board members.

I hope and pray with every fiber of my being that the ACLU comes down so hard on this district that they won't know whether to scratch their watches or wind their butts. They deserve it for this nonsense!

3 comments:

Valerie David said...

Yeah, this pretty much enraged me, too. I can't believe they thought it was better to cancel prom, anger an entire community, and put all of the misplaced blame on a girl who just wanted to be treated like everyone else. This is the kind of thing that makes kids suicidal, seriously. How can people who have charge of children play juvenile social exclusion games like this?

I read in some of the articles that a private company will probably organize a prom off school grounds--and the lesbian couple will no doubt be excluded from it because a private firm doesn't have to be held to the same laws as a public school. Nice, huh?

It really is sad that with all the horrible things in the world, people think an event will be ruined at the mere sight of two girls dancing together. They need to get over themselves already. Gah.

Lin said...

I guess a girl in a tux is better than a guy in a dress, right?

Yeah, it seems so ridiculous in this day and age, but that is smack dab in the bible belt. It doesn't make that right, but it explains it. Ugh.

I didn't have any fun at prom, but it would have been nice for the kids to go and find out for themselves.

Mystery Man said...

Val- hadn;t heard that they were organizing a prom off-campus, but i did hear that Ellen is giving this poor girl a scholarship.

You're right about these people worry way too much about a prom with everything else that is wrong in the world

Lin- true...but then again some of the girls down here wear camoflauge dresses to their prom...i kid you not, so a tuc would be an upgrade...lol

gotta love living down here in the bible belt.

this is truly ridiculous. these are preobably the same kind of people that stand in the way of any and all kind of progress just becuse they're scared and paranoid of something or other.

this girl deserves to go to prom and, like you said, see if she'll have fun for herself.