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!
