Cited: ABC News/USA Today

Gay and lesbian rights in prom season have become a familiar fight for ALCU chapters all over the country. In the fall, the ACLU helped Alabama teenager Cynthia Stewart win permission to attend prom with her girlfriend after the school announced it would cancel the dance for everyone.  Sun said they get about five to 10 such complaints each year.

“It’s really that it’s becoming more and more of an issue because … there’s a lot more information out there for students so they know it’s their right to be treated equally,” she said. “Whereas before they thought, ‘Well prom isn’t for me because I’m gay.’”

The school board issued a statement announcing it wouldn’t host the event 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 AP if McMillen’s demand led to the cancellation, school board attorney Michele Floyd said she could only reference the statement.

“I guess they would rather do that than what’s right, what’s constitutionally correct,” McMillen said.

Same-sex prom dates and cross-dressing are new issues for many high schools around the country, said Daryl Presgraves, a spokesman for GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a Washington-based advocacy group.

A lot of schools actually react rather than do the research and find out what the rights of these students are,” said Presgraves, who was preparing to facilitate a discussion about anti-gay bullying at a National Association of Secondary School Principals meeting.

Attorney Griffith said the student’s rights were not violated.

“This is not an issue where anyone has been denied an education or suffered a constitutional deprivation,” he wrote in the filing. “Rather, this is a social event that, in light of rapidly escalating circumstances, was disruptive to the school environment because people are on all sides of the issue.”

An affidavit filed March 10 in support of the school board by attorney James Keith claimed school board members have been under “tremendous pressure” as a result of the controversy.

“The school board was caught in a no-win situation as this matter developed,” Keith wrote. “One board member received threats at his place of employment because of the stance he had taken on the matter. Board members have received emails, telephone calls and Facebook messages regarding this matter.”

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Christine Sun called the argument “preposterous.”

“Long before this became an issue in the media they had told Constance that she could not bring her girlfriend to the prom,” she said. “Really it was the school board’s decision to cancel the prom that became the big news story.”

While the demand letter from the ACLU drew some media attention, including an article by the Associated Press, the story spread internationally when the school board announced it would call off the dance. Since then, McMillen has appeared on numerous television shows to tell her story, including an appearance March 19 on the nationally syndicated “Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

The school board’s response states that parents have organized a private prom at a furniture mart in nearby Tupleo. Now that the school district has withdrawn from the event, any constitutional claims are irrelevant, Griffith wrote.  Sun said she had only heard rumors of the private dance until she read it in the brief.

“Constance has not been invited, so it is clear to me that what is happening is that the school has encouraged a private prom that is not open to all the students,” she said. “That’s what Constance is fighting for — a prom where everyone can go.”

On one discussion on an Internet bulletin board about the planned prom in Tupelo, a poster who identified himself as a junior at the high school said the prom would be “invitation only.”

“Constance and her gay-activist friends will not be attending,” he said. “They can go have their own prom because we certainly do not want any of them there.”

The poster expressed frustration at the attention the issue had brought to the city of about 4,000.

“We have (television) newsmen at front doors of the school every freaking morning,” he wrote. “They flag us down to interview us as we’re coming and leaving school. I’m sick and tired of it. We are very traditional here so, personally, I think if Constance doesn’t like it here, she needs to pack her stuff and move. No one even liked her here that much in the first place.”

However, McMillen is receiving accolades outside her hometown for her stance.

DeGeneres called McMillen part of a new generation of leaders for her stand for gay rights and presented her with a $30,000 college scholarship check from website Tonic.com.  DeGeneres, who is gay, had McMillen as a guest on her syndicated show, which aired today.

“I admire you so much,” she told the 18-year-old senior from Itawamba Agricultural High School. “When I was your age I never would have had the strength to do what you are doing.”

Tonic.com also offered McMillen a summer internship in New York City, DeGeneres said.

Something good has come from the bonfire that the issue has set ablaze.  The dance has been organized by the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, but no details have been released yet.  Tonic.com has agreed to raise money for a second chance prom for the Mississippi students that would include gays and lesbians.

————————————-

My Take: Homophobia!  According to Wikipedia, this is a term for a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards homosexuality  and people identified or perceived as being homosexual. Definitions of the term refer variably to antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, and irrational fear. Homophobia is observable in critical and hostile behavior such as discrimination and violence on the basis of a non-heterosexual orientation.  This definition seems to fit the school board and parents of this community.

It seems to me that the parents of these teenagers should be more worried about their garage flooring than who will be attending the prom.  Yet their fellow students of McMillen have no problem with her sexual orientation, neither should the parent or the school board.  I can understand the dress code because of tradition, a tradition can be changed just like a garage floor mat can be changed.  But you can never replace the experience of going to a prom.

That experience is something everybody should have and it does not compare to getting Bon Jovi tickets.  I know parents can be obnoxious in getting their sport tickets for a high school football game, but interfering with the prom is ridiculous.

————————————-

Other Resources

Turn the Light on

There is an array of environmentally responsible lighting choices such as LED Grow Lights, CFL Bulbs, LED lightbulbs, LED Christmas Lights and many more energy saving lighting choices for your business and home.  In fact, many of the products ship 2-3 day priority mail at no extra charge so you have your order when you need it.

Solutions for Legal issues

An Austin divorce law attorney can provide solutions for not only the individual, but solutions to business problems like business start up, contract enforcement, collections tax planning and even administrative law that covers a broad range of regulatory and licensing issues.  When an Austin TX divorce lawyer has a comprehensive understanding of both state and federal law so they can give you highly sophisticated legal advice about the divorce issues and business market environment.  They can provide legal solutions for legal issues for both business and individuals.  It can be confusing when an individual ends a marriage.

Protecting the Worker

Carhartt has designed flame resistant clothing to protect and continues to advance their products. These products may not look much different from other products, such as pants, shirts and jackets, but were made to protect the worker.  In fact, choosing the right kind of clothes for work is extremely important if you work around anything that could cause a fire.  Carhartt makes the best line fire clothing in the US.  Much of their clothing line is quite stylish including their frame retardant coats because they can also be worn in daily use.  Luckily, you can now get Carhartt clothing you over the Internet or in a store.

Your Lending Broker

This Kentucky housing lender pledges their time since researching what is right for you and your family.  Regardless of your circumstances their representatives insisting on throughout the process of financing or refinancing a home.  They also know that Indianapolis IN mortgage rates change, as they do everywhere, on a daily basis and can vary depending on your unique situation. Simply use the quick form on their website to instantly receive a free and accurate rate quotes from their nationwide network of trusted lenders.  Remember, they specialize in low rate purchase mortgages and refinancing Kentucky and Indiana homes.

Doctor Office Services

No two doctors’ practices are exactly alike.  This telephone answering service is not just a specialty answering service, medical answering service or dental answering service.  They operate a fully customizable, comprehensive medical answering service.  They can create a specific medical call system to meet the needs of any physician, dentist, office, institution or healthcare provider.  They will utilize your custom answering service protocol to ensure high quality and consistent call handling on every call.  They will represent your office in the most professional manner possible.  The reliable staff of receptionists can filter your calls, coordinate and schedule your appointments and promptly dispatch your emergency messages.