What Happened At Constance McMillen’s Prom

[BolivarianHero]

Source: NMissCommentor

The school reneged, or possibly didn’t ever intend to follow through on its representations to the court. The parents didn’t want Constance at the prom and didn’t want to be sued (as they told the Clarion Ledger), and so on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the prom.

But what they’d done was secretly relocated it.

Shortly thereafter, the school’s attorney announced (on Wednesday) that “the prom” was to be held at the Fulton Country Club on Friday. But yet only seven kids showed up.

Meanwhile, there’s a rumor that school officials were directly involved in setting up the “fake” prom.

Read more: http://nmisscommentor.com/2010/04/04/what-happened-at-constance-mcmillans-prom/

---

Words escape me right now. This is the first thing that's come out about Constance McMillen's rescheduled prom. I actually spoke a bit with Constance herself on Facebook a few weeks ago, but I have no intention of bugging her and making her relive this humiliation.

The South fails again.

[vixengrl]

1. It seems to me like the whole point is discrimination--

even discrimination for discrimination's sake. Cancelling the prom was merely spiteful, but the idea of getting to hold a prom so that someone can be specifically excluded is so much more meaningful to the kind of jackasses who need to feel they are better than someone else. I don't have any doubt that school officials and parents colluded to make a "gay-free" prom. It's not that Constance and her date would have even been a disruption or distraction--it's just that it's so nice for the discriminators to know that there are still people you can socially eliminate.

I think it's pretty gross and they should not be proud of themselves at all.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[XemaSab]

3. The one thing I REALLY don't get about fundies

is the fact that they are SO insecure.

If gay people go to the prom, our kids will turn gay.

If abortions are legal, our daughters will have abortions.

If black people are allowed in the same schools as white people, our kids will date black people.

If we teach sex ed, our kids will have sex.

How about you raise your kids right on the one hand, and get over your bigotry on the other hand, and just not worry so much that your kids will make the wrong choices?

[Egnever]

4. couldnt agree more

For all of thier bluster and tough talk they seem to be running arround scared of everything.

[TrogL]

5. Fear is their life

They're afraid of everything and want everybody to be afraid of them.

[Ken Burch]

8. Thus, they live out the pathology of the bully.

n/t.

[SemperEadem]

11. yes. fear is their drug of choice

they tune into fux to mainline it every day.

[alp227]

46. Hence, "Persecuted Christians."

[Beartracks]

73. LOL - Nice chart. n/t

[Raster]

20. "They're afraid of everything and want everybody to be afraid of them."

Not quite. They're afraid of everything and want everybody to be afraid with them. Fear, like misery, loves company.

[zonkers]

42. FEAR DRIVEN. Baggers, Fundies, the whole lot. And they must be kept from power because of this.

The violence, racism, paranoia. There is no room for this in country and world that is really trying to solve problems.

[WestSeattle2]

77. Exactly. Very weak, ignorant, and fearful people. Pathetic.

[bobburgster]

9. Kudos!

Well stated!

[SemperEadem]

10. exactly. Well said, XemaSab

if you train up a child to do right, they won't veer off course.

I've raised a daughter to the age of majority who is currently in grad school. I have always been open and honest with her about life and all the wonders it possesses. I didn't raise her in the basis of fear, crippling her with baggage that wasn't hers to carry in the first place.

She has many gay friends and didn't "turn" gay. And if she was born lesbian, I would still accept her because that's my baby.
She has many friends of many different nationalities and beliefs.
She has not made me a grandmother.
She is careful about her reproductive responsibilities.

It's the insecurity of the beliefs of fundamental-cases coupled with purposeful ignorance to the point of paralysis that is the scourge of this nation. There is a whole generation of emotionally stunted, narrowly "educated" people now who feel that they should run things from their basis of ignorance and stupidity. It's breathtaking in its scope.

[AlbertCat]

62. f you train up a child to do right, they won't veer off course.

Train a child? Like a child is a blank slate? Nonsense!

Which is why many young people don't care if someone is gay or not even if their parents do. Genes and environment "shape" a child more than any parental attempts.... it's been shown clearly. The "parents' (authority figures) canceling this one prom will only show a child that these authority figures are not the norm in the overall (country-wide...media) environment. When their parents were children taking in their environment, this was not the norm.... ergo.... YIKES LESBIANS!!!!!

[No Elephants]

13. What wrong choices?

[Voice for Peace]

21. probably choices like: unprotected sex & driving drunk.. I'd put those in the categories

of wrong choices

[BR_Parkway]

24. It's because they "believe" in a Being that is omni-potent, has the power

to change anything in the universe just on It's will alone. It has a Plan. but you can change the Most Powerful One's Plan by simply praying.

And all you have to have is Faith that it's all true, even the conflicting parts.

[hapkidogal]

29. Down there?

Racism,hatred and bigotry are everywhere. I was raised in the south and I deplore that behavior.In California I was held against a wall and told my parents had not raised me right. I worked for a black-hispanic band.These two young men were quick to let me go when some of the crew came around the corner.On an airplane to Japan a Japanese steward refused to serve my friends.It is not a place. Let's look at Oklahoma where their governing body is trying to take away a womens rights.
It's not a state but a state of mind that we need to change in these people.I say this young women should sue.I think it is horrible what they did to her. I can tell you as someone who has been across the world that it's not just a southern problem but a problem in humans we need to change.

[valerief]

41. It's the oldest trick in the book--divide and conquer. Train your population to be

irrational and you can divide them up any way you want.

[hapkidogal]

60. You only missed

one word. Also to keep the serfs in their place.

[valerief]

71. Well, that's why you dumb them down with irrationality. What word did I miss?

Was it serfs?

:hi:

[hapkidogal]

72. Yes

Serfs would be correct;)

[valerief]

83. Reminds me of an old Beach Boys song.

Everybody's gone serfing
Serfing USA!

[dogfacedboy]

44. This is absolutely true, but the southern U.S. is above average

in racism, fear, and lack of social evolution.

[AlbertCat]

64. but the southern U.S. is above average

in racism, fear, and lack of social evolution.


*********

Kansas is not the South. Neither is TX (though they'd like to be). They burned buses in Boston in the 70s when busing came in. That's not the South either. They just LOVE hispanics in the SouthWest and CA!

Your info is waaaay old....
The new seat of public bigotry is the West. Look around! But y'know how the saying goes: Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and Alabama in between. The Southern US is not above average! Blacks are not the only ones discriminated against. There's also discrimination against The South!

[paparush]

30. In our small NC town, the current issue is alcohol sales. I've never seen our local fundies so

organized and coordinated as they are in response to tomorrow's vote on alcohol sales within the city limits. Holy crap, they are freaking out in record numbers and I'm afraid we're going to lose the vote and we will remain one of 2 counties out of Carolina's 100 counties that ban legal alcohol sales.

[SharonAnn]

31. Years ago, the bootleggers and the ministers here colluded to prohibit alcohol sales.

Politics do really make strange bedfellows.

It turned out to be great business for both groups.

The churches received more money to fight alcohol sales, the religious radio got more donations to fight alcohol sales, and the bootleggers made more sales from people afraid that the bootleggers would get shut down.

[paparush]

32. I have no doubt that those same coalitions are at work here, and the "big"

churches, the ones making the most noise are outside the city limits and most of their congregations will not be eligible to vote.

Embracing denial.

[hobbit709]

33. About 30 years ago a friend of mine got run out of Lubbock, TX

Because he did a little research before another election to allow liquor sales. It turned out that the loudest churches against it were the owners of the bars and liquor store on the strip a few miles out of town. When he made the fact that they had a vested interest in keeping the city dry public, he got death threats.

[HawkerHurricane]

56. Who profits from prohibition?

Priests, which you mentioned.
Smugglers, which you mentioned.
And Police, who get more money to hire more cops, and promote existing ones, to "fight" the smugglers.
Oh, and we can add in Politicians, who campaign for it. Or do they count as priests?

[d_r]

66. The wildest party I've ever been to

was at a bootleggers house in SE Kentucky in a very rural hilly dry county.

Open gambling going on around the dining room table. Cocaine in the back room, pot everywhere, beer sold out of several fridges, prostitution going on.

I finally figured out the local Barny Fife had gotten his cut not to show up and nobody was worried about anything.

[superconnected]

34. I don't get that either, but I also don't get why they are willing to lie, cheat, steal and kill

anytime they don't like a candidate, a president, a law and declare they are the "moral" wing.

[tblue]

69. And they obsess about sex!

Agree with you on all those points.

[Skittles]

80. tells us a lot about their so-called "faith"

[goclark]

6. Did Constance appear on the Wanda Sykes show?

[alp227]

47. yeah

http://www.afterellen.com/blog/drummerdeeds/wanda-sykes-invites-lesbian-teenager-constance-mcmillan-to-the-glaad-awards

[goclark]

59. Constance was great!

My Mom, 91, was watching the show with me....

Mom said, "Those school people are stupid!"

[dencol]

7. Gays need a militant organization.

I am tired of being evicted for being gay, being discriminated against at work, and now having difficulty finding work because I am gay. If the law won't protect people from this bullshit, gays such as myself need to do a better job about doing something about it.

[No Elephants]

14. I am sorry that you have to endure discrimination. And, yes, members of the GLBT

community do need an effective organization.

I used to think that was HRC, but I am not so sure anymore.

[Pab Sungenis]

18. I gave up on HRC

when they gave money to Alfonse D'Amato against Chuck Schumer years ago.

There hasn't really been a good pro-gay "militant" organization since the Radical Faeries.

[SocialistLez]

25. Same here

There is a group called Bash Back.
Someone tried to start one up here in Little Rock but we only had one meeting and that was it.
I was really ready to be apart of something like that.

They have a Bash Back chapter in Memphis that is pretty out there.

[iris27]

39. I thought so too until HRC threw all gender non-conforming people

under the bus with their support for a non-inclusive ENDA.

[dencol]

67. Thanks =). I agree with you about the HRC.

Although I will take it a step further. I think they are generally a conformist organization that wants to bend over backwards to win the approval of straight people. Certainly there are some benefits to that, but I think it is more problematic in the long run. Not only does that philosophy abandon those who need protection the most, but it leaves us vulnerable to discrimination when it is easy to get away with - like at my last company that had layoffs and decided to use the reduction in force to get rid of all the gay management employees. They weren't afraid of any real backlash - the worst that will happen is that they will have to go to court and have the case heard by a jury of mostly straight people who may or may not think it is acceptable for gay people to be out in the workplace.

[zonkers]

43. Is Queer Nation still in business?

[happygoluckytoyou]

12. 3 couples, and someone with a goat, attended--- but at least the goat was straight

[xchrom]

16. +1

[anachro1]

28. Never mind that goat

It was, after all, an opposite sex goat/clown pairing.

At least they were "normal"...

[KamaAina]

68. Was when he got there, anyway

Itawamba, where men are men and goats are nervous. :evilgrin:

[No Elephants]

15. I hope school officials were involved. Gives McMillen a much better lawsuit if they were.

Poor kid. She should not have to go through this. What courage she must have, though. Let's hope this just makes her stronger--and hopefully richer, too.

[xchrom]

17. This gay guy wasn't fooled for a minute.

I KNEW there'd be some sort of prom
and that 'officials' would be involved some how.

Seems to me too many were sucked in by
the schools first arguments.

[terrell9584]

19. I'm from Mississippi

And I'm familiar with this part of Mississippi too. Honestly, this girl is lucky to be alive and she's lucky her parents still have jobs.


Itawaba is still a Democratic county, always trending more Democratic than the state at large and with all local officials still decided in that primary. It and a handful of other virtually all-white North Mississippi counties that are around it control the Mississippi legislature and thereby the state of Mississippi. Travis Childers came up in a countywide political organization not unlike the one that runs Itawamba. They'll basically never vote for the national nominee but are far too happy to still call themselves Democrats as long as Dems continue controlling the legislature and most sheriff's offices. There are a lot of counties like it across the South. Still Democratic while not having any of the values because they are that resistant to changing anything.

[icee]

23. Nail. Hit. Head. I have been surprised by that most of all. If this

had been tried in the seventies or even eighties, the girl and her parents would be dead, and any school official supporting the girl and her parents would have been ridden out of town on a rail. You can bet your bottom dollar there are parents of girls who feel they had their daughters and sons' prom ruined that will be seeking retribution. I just wonder what form it will take. When I was young, I got my girlfriend pregnant in high school (the first time that ever happened at that school). The school let us finish our educations, but we were not allowed to go to school events: basketball games, clubs, and the prom. Both my girlfriend and our respective parents thought that was all right--that we were treated fairly. I still feel the same way. Now, I have not followed this story, but I think it would have been better for the girl to have announced her homosexuality earlier in the school year, so that an equitable arrangement could have been made for upcoming events. Proms used to be relatively important happenings in yesteryear. Now, I don't know. It may be better not to have them any more if they are suddenly to become political and maybe do more harm than good to the average attendee. Just one more thing that makes me glad I'm old and grew up when I did. Oh, well, my two cents.

[PSzymeczek]

79. She's been out since eighth grade.

How much earlier would you suggest?

[icee]

81. That puts a entirely different light on the matter.

[catrose]

22. So what happened to the offers by AHA, DU, the hotel owner in NO?

Did those fizzle out because the school was going to do the right thing? (as if anyone believed that)

We could have made Constance a hero for giving everyone the best prom ever--instead she's further humiliated and excluded?

[mainer]

49. Yeah, I was ready to donate for the best prom ever.

Just think of how cool we could have made it - and I'll wager that some big name band would have volunteered to play for free, too.

[anachro1]

26. Shooting themselves in the foot again....

This young lady and her girlfriend will be guaranteed to live very comfortably for the rest of their lives just on the money this lawsuit will grant them. Every little act of ignorance from this school will eventually help make gay marriage legal.

Personally, I want all homophobes to always feel the need to watch their backs from now on.

[happyslug]

37. I doubt it, sovereign immunity is still alive and well

And as to the Principals and teachers, if a jury provides a substantial award (remember this is a Mississippi case so it will be a Mississippi Jury of more later) collection will be hard for in most states you can NOT sell Marital Property (And most real estate is Marital property) for the debt of one spouse (i.e. you can attach wages but that is limited to 25% of all wages and almost impossible to collect it any other way). Furthermore most pensions are exempt from any attachment, thus when the teacher or principal retire all collections efforts stop.

Remember the School District is an agent of the State and unless you can get around Sovereign Immunity, the School District will NOT be held liable for the actions of its agents. Thus the only issue, if the Jury awards any damages, will be how will the agents of the School District pay the award? As I noted above hard given that most people own things with their spouse.

Now, some states, my home state of Pennsylvania for one, has adopted a rule that if an agent of the state does something that makes the agent liable the state will pay for such liability. Notice the State waive the concept of Sovereign immunity is such cases, but only to the degree set forth in the Statute waving such Sovereign Immunity. I do NOT know if Mississippi has done so, I have my doubts but that requires someone more familiar with Mississippi law then I have.

As to the Jury, remember even under the Civil Rights Act, a person who is a victim of illegal discrimination MUST show the actual cost of the discrimination i.e. what harm, reduced down to money terms, did this student suffer? The answer can be Nothing, and if the Jury finds that to be the case all the victims will get is a $1 award.

One last comment, while I mentioned the Civil Rights Act, it does NOT protect against discrimination against Homosexuals. Now some States and Cities have extended their State Civil Rights Act to cover Homosexuals, but to my knowledge NOT Mississippi. Thus the Civil Rights Act does NOT come into play. The Victims will have to rely on traditional Common Law concepts and under those concepts the issue of harm is a factor, but again must be show in monetary terms and what is the Monetary loss of this victim? The cost of her dress (Which can be ruled to be capable of used elsewhere and thus NOT 100% attributable to act of discrimination). She has a more solid case regarding anything rented i.e. a car etc, but that is all unless the Jury finds Punitive damages are in order.

Now Mississippi is noted for high punitive damages award, but the Supreme Court has put a limit on such awards (Roughly no more then three times the actual damages). If actual damages is only $1, then all she can get on Punitive damages is $3 (In cases with just Nominal Damages the Supreme Court has NOT ruled as to the limit of Punitive Damages, but the courts will recognize some limit). Please remember the McDonald's to hot Coffee Case. The victim in that case was awarded millions by the Jury but it was reduced to just a little more then what was needed to cover her legal costs (Actual Damages covered her actual injuries as found by the Jury) nothing more (And that was BEFORE the Supreme Court put down the 3 times restriction). Thus do NOT go by what people are awarded by Juries, for most victims get nothing close when the payment is actual made. Furthermore we are talking of a Mississippi Jury looking at increase taxes to pay for such a large award. While Mississippi is noted for large Punitive Damages awards, it is also noted for wanting low taxes and thus the later will overcome the former so I doubt any punitive damages will be awarded.

Just comments on your statement and that I doubt the student and her girlfriend will ever get any money from the School District. They may get some money by going on TV to complaint about their treatment but that is all.

[madrchsod]

27. ".....cannibal christans they suffer so..."

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. Who were the seven kids who showed up?

Were they supporters of Constance? Were they outcasts for other reasons? Was one kid there without a date, or did someone bring two dates? I hope they had a lovely time in spite of the obvious attempt to humiliate her.

This whole thing is sounding more and more like "Revenge of the Nerds".

[Bette Noir]

36. Bastards.

Whatever happened to the dance some casino operator offered to throw the school in New Orleans? I'd rather go to that than some dumb prom, anyway.

[iris27]

38. Enraging, but sadly not surprising.

This is an area where they still take pride in racially-segregated proms, for fuck's sake.

But yeah, every single student, parent, and administrator who knew about this alternate prom and either went or even just didn't tell Constance about it deserves nothing but our eternal :grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[proReality]

40. What dark, petty, shriveled little minds those people have.

I hope karma visits them soon.

[Taverner]

52. Exactly - are these parents in junior high or something

This is the kind of petty shit you'd expect from the high schoolers, not the teachers.

[Speciesamused]

45. Mandatory, Compulsory Educational schools in America are like prisons..

Sadly, the dream of a great society, fair and with opportunity equal for all, is not much discussed these days,
and seems farther off today than it did 40 years ago.

It is in the interest of complex management, economic or political, to dumb people down, to demoralize them,
to divide them from one another, and to discard them if they don't conform.

Any hopes of reform from the current Obama administration seem almost Utopian considering the background of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who, while CEO of Chicago Public Schools, ran a reputation of militarizing and privatizing public schools.

Talk about avoiding the elephant in the room!

Ask any schoolchild why they don't like school and they'll tell you. "School is prison." They may not use those words, because they're too polite, or maybe they've already been brainwashed to believe that school is for their own good and therefore it can't be prison. But decipher their words and the translation generally is, "School is prison."

[Crowman1979]

48. I'm all for unlimited LGBT rights, but in general I think proms/dances are a waste of time.

The same goes with spending enormous amounts of money on school athletics. Of course I was one of those eccentric outcasts who never went to those events. I couldn't wait to graduate and get the f*** out of High School and expierience the real world.

[alp227]

50. This is such BS.

I resume college after spring break in just 45 minutes. I feel like taking a plane to the town where the district office is located and throw eggs at the windows.

Facebook lied, I guess.

Every time the school district sucks it up to the bigots the district makes itself look more foolish.

[Taverner]

51. Fuck....words fail me too.

:grr:

[The Backlash Cometh]

53. They owe all those kids a prom.

Duplicitous bastards.

[Posteritatis]

54. That site's broken, does anyone have a mirror of the article? (nt)

[galledgoblin]

65. google mirror

http://74.125.93.132/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=cache:http://nmisscommentor.com/2010/04/04/what-happened-at-constance-mcmillans-prom/&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Posteritatis]

70. Thanks! (nt)

[on point]

55. Conspiracy to defraud?

Could this be considered conspiracy to defraud and could all of those 'in the know' then be guilty of same? Or at least conspiracy to deprive her of civil rights? Could she sue the school district and each and every one of those people for damages?

[cecilfirefox]

57. I suspect the other students that went to the fake prom-

were the unpopular kids or the people without friends to let them in on the know. Fire up the attorneys, lock, load, and light that school district up like the fourth of July. If they can show direct proof of specific school officials involvement I'd see if there was a way to sue them personally.

[Posteritatis]

58. I figured either that or they were McMillen's supporters and kept out for that reason. (nt)

[CBR]

61. This is horrible. I know Constance will come

out of this awful experience on top. Does anyone know where she is going to college?

[unblock]

63. the schools's LAWYERS announced this? that seems like malpractice right there

no remotely decent lawyer would advise their client to spite the court and the complainant in this fashion.

[happyslug]

75. My Reading of the first Thread is there has been no court action

And thus no Court Order to obey. That being the case the Lawyers did NOT violate any law when they repeated to other people that a prom was being held in a new location.

Remember, under Federal and Mississippi law Homosexuals are NOT members of a Protected Class, so unless you can show a contract issue (and sue for Breach of Contract given that the Victim purchased a ticket) there is no court action here.

This is NOT the same as if the Prom had been moved to avoid an African-American from being in the prom. Being an African-American, the African-American would be a member of a protected class under Federal law (And if Mississippi has passed a similar State law, Mississippi Law). The legal difference is that under Federal and Mississippi law Homosexuality is NOT a protected class and as such can be discriminated against. Thus you have to show a contract violation for any court action, and unless she purchased a ticket AND no one honored that ticket, she had no cause of action.

[ScottLand]

74. For shame! How can we expect the kids to grow up

and be decent people without leaders who set a good example? These people are saying that it's okay to discriminate against people who are different. Shame on them.

[happyslug]

76. See my previous post, such discrimination is legal under Federal law

To be protected under the Civil Rights Act you have to be a member of a class of people mentioned in the Civil Rights act (as amended). If you are NOT a member of any of those classes of people, it is perfectly legal to be discriminated against. Remember such discrimination is done on DU all the time, the monitors will NOT tolerate anyone who oppose the election of any nominee of the Democratic Party OR who attack another person on DU. That is Discrimination against someone who is different from most of the people on DU (most of us support the Democratic Party AND avoid personal attacks on other DUers) and as such perfectly legal.

[ropi]

78. and yet.. they wonder why bullying stil goes on in schools?

Once again another student is bullied through social ostracism and silence. Moreover, the teachers, parents, and other students were all aware of the ruse.

[lunasun]

82. backwater, redneck, god loving bunch of hate-filled hypocritical bigots

....read that comment in a Mississippi paper and thought it fit these Aholes perfectly

[kgnu_fan]

84. I send Constance McMillen a good wish so that she becomes strong

and wise through this experience. Get up and fight!!! I hope she knows she has lots of our support.