School prom off after lesbian's date request

[Kadie]

School prom off after lesbian's date request

Wednesday, March 10, 2010


(03-10) 15:59 PST Jackson, Miss. (AP) --

The prom's off at a northern Mississippi school after a lesbian student demanded she be allowed to bring her girlfriend.

The American Civil Liberties Union had demanded that the Itawamba County school district allow 18-year-old Constance McMillen to attend with her date.

A school board statement Wednesday announced the district wouldn't host the April 2 prom at Itawamba County Agricultural High School.

McMillen wanted to escort her girlfriend, who is also a student. McMillen also was denied permission to wear a tuxedo.

A school district policy requires that dates be of the opposite sex.

The district's statement never mentioned McMillen's request. But officials said the change was made due to recent distractions. District officials say they hope private citizens will host a prom.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/03/10/national/a155936S28.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0hp5CW71g

[thecrow]

1. OMG They are privatizing proms now!

[DeepBlueC]

11. actually not uncommn in the south still I think

students raise funds for proms held off school premises (schools say it is to sidestep liability issues) but there are often 2 proms, one black and one white.

[Hekate]

44. I remember the phenomenon well: one for whites, another for black students.... None of that there

... misceginatin' tolerated in the South.

This is too bad -- although this student and her GF must feel fairly safe being "out" in their community if they're going public like this.

Hekate

[JoeyT]

45. I've never seen a segregated prom.

Mine was in rural Alabama almost ten years ago at a school that (At a guess) was about 60% white, 35% African American, and 5% other.
There was just the one prom. None of the schools near here had segregated proms either. I don't think they're all that common, which isn't to say they don't happen.

[EOTE]

52. Morgan Freeman did a documentary a few years back.

I believe it was called "Prom Night in Mississippi", it was a very interesting film. He visited his former high school which until that time was still holding segregated proms. This was maybe 2007 or 2008, so I was flabbergasted that such things were still going on. He spoke with the students and asked them if they'd be willing to hold an integrated prom if he was willing to pay for it. The school children seemed overwhelmingly supportive of the idea, but some of the parents freaked out so badly that they ended up holding a privately funded whites only prom. I'd highly recommend checking the film out, it was one of the better documentaries I've seen as of late.

[DebbieCDC]

2. They have a school policy mandating who can date who?

[DeepBlueC]

8. and do you need prior approval of clothing?

what the fuck is wrong with this place?

[csziggy]

34. She should not have asked and just shown up wearing this

If a tux was good enough for Marlene Dietrich it should be good enough for a high school prom in backwoods America!

[DeepBlueC]

59. yeah, don't ask first..., apologize later

works in public life

[donco6]

3. We'll cancel prom rather than let a girl bring her date.

And can you imagine some of the skanks those straight girls have brought with them over the years? The future wife-beater, drunken assholes? They're a-OK.

[Auggie]

4. Penalizing the entire school -- evil people

:grr:

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Indeed

[Auggie]

18. And it's worse than "punishment" -- it's promulgates hate and intolerance

[zbdent]

38. not only are they "penalizing" the entire school ...

but don't be too shocked if it starts getting around that "someone, wink wink, was responsible for getting the big night canceled" ...

[The Genealogist]

58. I think you are exactly right about this.

I do not know what they call this tactic, but you punish a whole group for a "wrong" (real or perceived) and the unjustly punished mete out "justice" themselves. This kind of "justice" often happened in the residence halls of the college I attended. An example: Once, someone crapped in the shower (disgusting pig) and the guilty party would not fess up. The whole floor was punished, and the real guilty person was "taught a lesson" by several of the more pissed off people on his floor. Difference here: the person wishing to take a same-sex date to a prom did NOTHING wrong and likely faces mob "justice" for her non-wrongdoing. This kind of "justice" might make the people in charge of this district sleep better at night, because "the problem was solved," but bigger problems, ones of which the people in charge of have absolved themselves, will undoubtedly come up.

I really hate bigots like these "administrators." This act is going to do nothing but create more irrational homophobia in this town, county and state.

[drm604]

5. The ACLU should still pursue this.

Do they really believe their *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink* "we hope private citizens will host a prom" statement is fooling anybody? They're obviously moving the prom to a private venue so that the school can't be sued for discrimination.

[coffeenap]

63. They are:

http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-sues-mississippi-school-canceled-prom-rather-let-lesbian-couple-attend

[laconicsax]

7. If only she'd changed the name from 'date' to something with less baggage.

The problem is the word 'date.' If she'd called her girlfriend a 'civil suitor' and had said 'civil suitor' as her 'social function companion,' she would have had more support from the district.

I can't imagine even the most homophobic objecting to a student taking her civil suitor to the prom as a social function companion.

[Hissyspit]

12. Or people could stop being fucking idiot bigots.

(I'm assuming you were being facetious, laconicsax.)

[laconicsax]

16. But that requires the bigots to lose.

The clear way forward is for the LGBTQ community to make continual sacrifices so that the bigots will eventually accept them as separate-but-equal, third-and-a-half class citizens.

...and now the :sarcasm: tag I probably should have put in my original comment.

[Hissyspit]

26. I assumed it, but it never hurts!

:D

[wuushew]

14. Wrong response

this is a disgusting policy that needs to be challenged not evaded with word games. People are either equal or they are not.

[laconicsax]

19. I agree completely

Apparently my parody of the separate-but-equalists was too close to the mark.

[MineralMan]

39. That's OK. I got it. Some folks don't get sarcasm on DU.

[The Doctor.]

15. While I agree with taking advantage of people's ignorance for the sake of happiness,

I do disagree that people should be cowed into subterfuge when they shouldn't have to be.

[laconicsax]

20. Apparently I need to use the sarcasm tag more often than I thought.

[Hissyspit]

28. Yeah, I've pretty much surrendered to it.

Although Elad's design is a little too 'bloody' for me. --> :sarcasm: Sometimes irony and facetiousness are not THAT dripping with blood!

[Book Lover]

21. Perfect!

No sarcasm tag required here.

[laconicsax]

23. The last three responses disagree. n/t

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

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

[laconicsax]

43. That's my point.

People don't care what you call it. Too often people post, "if only the LGBTQ community pushed for civil unions instead of marriage..." and proceed to attempt a case for segregation.

I guess I confirmed a version of Poe's Law with my post.

[Shell Beau]

51. In all fairness, there are serious redneck fucks all over the country.

Unfortunately, a lot of the smaller towns don't progress with the rest of the people. And this is a small town. They have taken a huge step backwards. I really think if this were in Jackson, MS, it would be no big deal.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

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

[Shell Beau]

56. I don't know about them liking the warm weather, but yes

we do have a lot of farming going on down here. I grew up in the delta, and there is tons of farming. Cotton, rice and of course catfish farms. Although farmers may be the true rednecks (because of the sun burning their necks), it doesn't mean they are backwards.

[KamaAina]

57. A few years back, parade organizers did the same thing

canceled the whole parade after a court ruled that gays and lesbains had to be allowed to march.

It was the St. Paddy's Day Parade. In Boston. Massachusetts.

[zbdent]

60. Want to bet that these two would be the only two girls who danced together

who would have been punished?

I've seen plenty of weddings and such where girls danced with girls ... but this time, if these two particular girls danced with each other ... there would be a whole hellofa lot of screaming going on ...

Comical thing is ... if these two shared a peck on the cheek, there would be a firestorm ... and yet, you probably have almost XXX-rated porn going on daily in the halls by the lockers ... it's just acceptable because it's the quarterback and the head cheerleader making out ... but it's male-to-female ...

[Shell Beau]

9. I was hoping that it would go the other way.

It is an extremely small town. I was hoping they could take a step forward. Guess not.

[The Doctor.]

10. This is sick.

And it will backfire.

I'd wager most of the students don't care, and are more pissed off at the school's bullshit than two girls going to the prom together.

When are these idiots going to grow up?

[Last_Stand]

13. "We don't take kindly to your type 'round here..." n/t

[customerserviceguy]

17. Actually, this works in our favor

Showing straight kids that their elders are so damned homophobic that they'll cancel a prom over this means that we get even more support from the next generation to take over. And it's in the South, where we probably need it the most.

[Book Lover]

24. Perhaps. I think human nature, however, will more likely result in this:

"Fucking lesbians ruined the prom for everyone."

Just because it's not true does not mean it won't be believed.

[Bluebear]

30. jinx

[customerserviceguy]

31. That's what their parents will be saying

but kids these days are a bit smarter than that about gay and lesbian issues. They're nowhere near as threatened by it as Momma and Daddy are.

[Posteritatis]

65. If you don't think schools are rife with homophobia you need to stick your head in one. (nt)

[Bluebear]

25. You assume a lot of the kids aren't just as homophobic. They will blame her for ruining "their" day

[customerserviceguy]

32. I use polls and surveys

as my justification for that. Yes, there are some hardcore religious types out there, probably particularly in the South, but the generation of young people under 30 probably knows more openly gay people than any generation before them. They're not nearly as afraid of it as their parents and grandparents are.

[gatorboy]

54. Oy. Spoken like a true Yankee.

Bluebear summed it up correctly.

You should probably spend some time in the south.

[Posteritatis]

64. Hahahahaha (nt)

[Shell Beau]

36. Unfortunately it is a learned trait, that hate.

From what I see here in my town(which is as repub as they come, although it is just a few miles outside of the liberal capitol), teens are much more accepting than their parents. It gives me hope. I am an example of that. My parents didn't teach me to hate, but they are conservative. I really think they would classify as independents based on what I know about them, but they are registered republicans.

[Marr]

22. I've seen that tactic used many times. It's meant to turn the students against the girl, of course.

Disgusting move.

[Zoeisright]

27. These fucking repukes are just sick.

They have the biggest sticks up their asses. Unclench, you dimwits.

[4lbs]

29. Yeah, some parts of Mississippi are way behind the times. I saw an HBO documentary last year where

a small Mississippi high school was holding it's first integrated prom ever!

Yes, that's right, until last year (could have been 2008), the school held two proms, one for the whites, and one for the minorities.

So, it's not surprising that certain places would have a crapfest if two women are seen holding hands.

[Shell Beau]

35. I thought that was in Georgia.

I don't remember that being here at all. Not saying it couldn't or wouldn't happen, I just don't remember that.

[4lbs]

41. The title is "Prom Night in Mississippi"

Here's the full info on it:

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/prom-night-in-mississippi/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/21/mississippi.prom/index.html

The high school was in Charleston, Mississippi


So, if some high schools in the South are still somewhat segregated racially prom-wise, it's not hard to imagine that gay and lesbian couples would be totally out of the question in those schools.

[Shell Beau]

48. I totally missed that. It is shameful.

It is embarrassing as well.

[WolverineDG]

33. So girls going stag in a group can't attend the prom?

what a stupid fucking rule. :eyes:

dg

[tammywammy]

37. No shit

When I was a junior I was the date to a senior girl. Neither of us are lesbians, we were just friends. We even bought corsages for each other and dressed alike at the after-prom party (that was the deal, dates wore matching outfits at the school's after prom).

[WolverineDG]

46. I'm glad I grew up in a saner era, yes in Texas

I went to dances with my friends, since boys never asked me out. We weren't gay, but there were some girls who were. No one batted an eye & no adult-who-acts-like-a-3-year-old was making rules that only boy-girl couples could go to dances & that we had to let the school see what we were wearing. :eyes:

dg

[tammywammy]

47. It was spring '98 when I went to prom with a girl

And in the DFW area. :)

As far as dress code, you couldn't dress like a shank with your boobies hanging all out. I know my senior year this girl Wendy wore a suit or tux to prom, she never wore dresses. No one cared.

We did have to do a breathalyzer before entering prom and the after prom party and if you left you wouldn't be allowed back in.

[WolverineDG]

49. Yeah, guess we were better at policing ourselves

no girl at my school would have dared to wear a slinky black dress to prom, or a trampy dress. Spaghetti straps were okay, but most girls paired those with a shawl for the photos.

As for drinking, someone would always find a way to spike the punch, but most of us stayed sober so we could drive to the beach after prom. :)

dg

[Zywiec]

40. K & R

[Subdivisions]

50. There are lots of reasons to hate this country. This is one of them. n/t

[Javaman]

53. I bet the students didn't care...

more than likely, it's their parental morons that are causing all this bullshit.

[Posteritatis]

61. A few articles about this say the girls are getting flak from other students for this. (nt)

[Posteritatis]

62. I love that they bring out that tired old "disruption" carte blanche there

Becuase so much learning happens at a prom, right?