Constance McMillen, 18, is a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Mississippi. She is also a lesbian. And she wants to take her girlfriend to her senior prom.
School officials said no. They said Constance and her girlfriend cannot arrive at the prom together and Constance cannot wear a tuxedo to the prom. They can both go to the prom separately, and if they both wear the “appropriate attire.” But then, if any of the other students complain about them being there, Constance and her girlfriend will be thrown out.
(From the way the press release was written, it implies that the lesbian couple’s mere presence is enough to make other students uncomfortable enough to complain and warrant the couple’s ejection from the event.)
So now, the ACLU and the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition have issued a demand that Itawamba County Schools officials reverse their decision and let Constance and her girlfriend attend prom as a couple. The two groups sent a letter to school officials that “cited federal court cases guaranteeing students’ First Amendment right to bring same-sex dates to school dances, and also pointed out that treating McMillen and other lesbian, gay, and bisexual students differently from other students violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantees. In addition to illegally barring McMillen and her girlfriend from attending the prom together, the ACLU said that the school further violated McMillen’s free expression rights by telling her that she can’t wear a tuxedo to the prom,” according to the press release from the ACLU.
Kristy Bennett, legal director of the ACLU of Mississippi, said: “Prom is supposed to be about all students being able to express themselves, have fun, and make memories that will last the rest of their lives. Constance has a constitutional right to take the person she’s dating to the prom, just like any other student at any other public school.”
3 Comments
AWE! That’s sad! If I recall, our school in Texarkana, TX didn’t allow same sex dates or anyone 21+ to prom. Best of luck to the girls!
Kristy Bennett and ACLU attorney said”Constance has a constitutional right to take the person she’s dating to the prom,” I am still trying to find a Constitutional right that expressly provides that proms and dating are a right. Clearly, prayer in public places has been declared by Bennett and her organization as not being a right so I am unclear why being lesbian and bringing a date to a prom is a right.
McMillan and Bennett have set this up to make it an issue and as a result-all the “rights” of all the other students to attend the prom have been denied…who should we hold responsible for that? Could McMillan and friends not create their own LGBT prom and let the majority of the student body have the traditional prom, unmolested?
Where in the Constitution does it expressly give you the RIGHT to name yourself “stan” on a website? Would you say that if this explicit right is not named in the Constitution, that you are obligated to form your own website where you can call yourself Stan? Or.. maybe.. would you say that our expressly named right to freedom of thought and expression is sufficient to cover your right to call yourself “stan” wherever the heck you want to? Just food for thought, as you appear to be very hungry in that department…
I imagine that that “whooshing” sound you are hearing right about now is my point sailing right over your head.
” the traditional prom, unmolested?”
Your words betray your small minded, backwoods bigotry.