U.S. High School Cancels Prom in Protest to Lesbian Student

[Scary Monster]

Lesbian teen back at Miss. school after prom flap


By SHELIA BYRD, Associated Press Writer Shelia Byrd, Associated Press Writer
JACKSON, Miss. – An 18-year-old Mississippi lesbian student says she got some unfriendly looks from classmates when she returned to school after officials canceled the senior prom because of her request to escort her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
Constance McMillen says she didn't want to go back, but her father told her she needed to face her classmates and school officials in Fulton. McMillen says one student told her, "Thanks for ruining my senior year."
The Itawamba County school district announced Wednesday it wouldn't host the April 2 prom at McMillen's high school.
The decision came after the American Civil Liberties Union told officials a policy banning same-sex prom dates violated students' rights.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
The Itawamba County school district's board decided Wednesday to drop the prom because of what it called recent distractions but without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The student, 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen, said the cancellation was retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance.
"A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this, so in a way it's really retaliation," McMillen told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson. Calls to McMillen by The Associated Press late Wednesday went unanswered.
School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's constitutional rights.
Instead, the school board met and issued a statement announcing it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton, "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events."
The statement didn't mention McMillen or the ACLU. When asked by The Associated Press if McMillen's demand led to the cancellation, school board attorney Michele Floyd said she could only reference the statement.
"It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors," district officials said in the statement. "However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well being of our students."
Kristy Bennett, legal director for the ACLU of Mississippi, said the district was trying to avoid the issue.
"But that doesn't take away their legal obligations to treat all the students fairly," Bennett said. "On Constance's behalf, this is unfair to her. All she's trying to do is assert her rights."
Itawamba County is a rural area of about 23,000 people in north Mississippi near the Alabama state line. It's near Pontotoc County, Miss., where more than a decade ago school officials were sued in federal court over their practice of student-led intercom prayer and Bible classes.
Anna Watson, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, was looking forward to the prom, especially since the town's only hotspot is the bowling alley, she said.

"I am a little bummed out about it. I guess it's a decision that had to be made. Either way someone was going to get disappointed — either Constance was or we were," Watson said. "I don't agree with homosexuality, but I can't change what another person thinks or does."
Other students are on McMillen's side.
McKenzie Chaney, 16, said she wasn't planning to attend the prom, but "it's kind of ridiculous that they can't let her wear the tuxedo and it all be over with."
A Feb. 5 memo to students laid out the criteria for bringing a date to the prom, and one requirement was that the person must be of the opposite sex.
The ACLU said McMillen approached school officials shortly before the memo went out because she knew same-sex dates had been banned in the past. The ACLU said district officials told McMillen she and her girlfriend wouldn't be allowed to arrive together, that she would not be allowed to wear a tuxedo, and that she and her girlfriend might be asked to leave if their presence made any other students "uncomfortable." McMillen said she feared she would be thrown out of the prom because "we do live in the Bible Belt."

This shit is pretty disgusting, the lengths that people will go to deny a person's fundamental rights- the school disctrict turning a whole school against a girl because of her sexuality. As if she isn't already going to have it hard once shes out in the world and ridiculed for her sexual leanings. But with something like this happening in the midwest, Im not all that surprised.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Yes, and it's LGBT folks who are shoving their lifestyles down the throats of straight people. Disgusting, you said it comrade.

[Physicist]

What I find perhaps more deplorable than the bigotry itself is how the district purposely concluded this issue so that the girl would be hated by a lot of her peers.

[Audeamus]

What I find perhaps more deplorable than the bigotry itself is how the district purposely concluded this issue so that the girl would be hated by a lot of her peers.

Quite right, the actions of the school board were just spiteful. Messing with this girl's life for the sake of their bigoted "morality".

[bcbm]

But with something like this happening in the midwest, Im not all that surprised.

mississippi isn't the midwest.

[¿Que?]

"It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors," district officials said in the statement. "However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well being of our students."

This comment bothered me a bit. As a public school, they have to abide by non-discrimination policies. However, if a "private citizen" decides to hold the prom, they may not necessarily be constrained by the same laws. In which case, a private citizen holding the de-facto prom outside of school grounds could deny McMillen entrance, while the rest of the school enjoyed their prom night. I'm going to keep an eye on this...

[mollymae]

That's disgusting.

It's really odd that they would have such a policy (that same-sex couples can't go to prom together), beucase I know at my school some people, mainly just girls, go with each other just as friends. I wonder if this school would try to stop that kind of situation as well.

[Scary Monster]

mississippi isn't the midwest.

Well its close I meant "Midwest" as in southern "heartland" (not the technical term of Midwest i guess), extremely conservative, religious state.

[cb9's_unity]

I read this earlier and was pretty disgusted by it.

Where I live this sort of thing is unheard of and it is actually common for people to bring a same sex date (whether they are just friends or actually dating). Of course my high school use to have a lesbian principle, which was helpful in fighting homophobia.

[MarxSchmarx]

Sigh. One wonders if they did this when schools became integrated and inter-racial dating was finally allowed. It must have happened, and those who were excluded like this in the 60s and 70s should be more vocal about making the comparison.

[turquino]

Sigh. One wonders if they did this when schools became integrated and inter-racial dating was finally allowed. It must have happened, and those who were excluded like this in the 60s and 70s should be more vocal about making the comparison.

Tallahatchie County had their first integrated prom LAST YEAR.

[Lord Marshall Draq]

inconcievable. so much for 'freedom'... to think after all this time and we've only come this far... the time for change is now!

[mollymae]

Where I live this sort of thing is unheard of and it is actually common for people to bring a same sex date (whether they are just friends or actually dating).

I know what you mean. I live in Washington State near Seattle, so this kind of thing never happens around here. So when I read an article like this it just blows my mind that this could happen in my country.

[cb9's_unity]

There is also now a video now on CNN.com. For whatever reason I was having a hard time finding the link so you guys will have to look a little if you want to find it.

The video contains a section that has people using the pretty typical gay bashing rhetoric. Parents saying "i don't want my kids to see that kind of behavior". It shows how illogically sensitive our society is when people complain about having to be in the same room with two girls that may dance together.

[worldrambler]

Land of the free and home of the brave!! MY ASS. Until all Americans are treated equally we need to stop making any claims about freedom or American superiority. This shit is unbelievable.

[worldrambler]

I know what you mean. I live in Washington State near Seattle, so this kind of thing never happens around here. So when I read an article like this it just blows my mind that this could happen in my country.

I am from Seattle as well. I live in Japan now, and it would be unthinkable in either Seattle or Japan for this to happen.

[Jimmie Higgins]

What I find perhaps more deplorable than the bigotry itself is how the district purposely concluded this issue so that the girl would be hated by a lot of her peers.

If she's not already hated and bashed at school. This was a deliberate attempt by the school to punish someone for speaking up as well as to promote gay bashing: the lesbian stole your prom kids, it's not our fault now if someone does something to her.

s a public school, they have to abide by non-discrimination policies. However, if a "private citizen" decides to hold the prom, they may not necessarily be constrained by the same laws. In which case, a private citizen holding the de-facto prom outside of school grounds could deny McMillen entrance, while the rest of the school enjoyed their prom night. I'm going to keep an eye on this...

Right, privatization has been used for de-facto segregation and this is really troubling that the school "suggests" the students and bigoted parents hold a private prom... a local gay-bashing church would be my guess for the location. However, in this case, since it has received a lot of attention in the media, I bet (if no one has done so already) a facebook page or something could be started to raise money for a LGBT prom for this student, here fellow non-bigot students... I bet if it got enough attention, they could get Lady Gaga to be the prom band! That would really boost the confidence of local LGBT people and show the bigots that while they may isolate and intimidate people in their town, in the big picture, the bigots are the ones who are isolated.

Any facebook savvy people want to give this a shot?

[Il Medico]

I know what you mean. I live in Washington State near Seattle, so this kind of thing never happens around here. So when I read an article like this it just blows my mind that this could happen in my country.

It's the South. If the article said, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, or any other southern State I wouldn't be surprised. This shit is pretty common down here sadly.

[gorillafuck]

What I find perhaps more deplorable than the bigotry itself is how the district purposely concluded this issue so that the girl would be hated by a lot of her peers.

That's what I was thinking. That's pretty fucked up.

[Red Commissar]

Good to see Mississippi is living up to their flag.



Oh bible belt, how "pure" you are.

I remember reading about a place in Mississippi- Charleston, that didn't have its first racially integrated prom... until 2008.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080707/prom