Posted by Sam Richards
Michael McMillen, Constance McMillen's father, expresses his support of his daughter
Imagine canceling a prom so that a lesbian couple won’t attend. That’s so 1990s. And now this is the 21st century and life is quickly passing by the adults who stand looking backward to a time when things were so easy–before someone opened the closet doors. And yes, we’re living in a new world with new rules and new couplings…and young people who will show us once and for all that love knows no boundaries.
Read the article: Lesbian Teen in Prom Flap
It's an act of discrimintation for a school to prohibit certain couples from attending or dressing a certain way. If we as a society are supposed to start moving foward in our every day lives and getting rid of discrimintation and inequality, don't you think LGBT issues would be a great place to start. Educating young people about these types of issues would be great too. Many young people at this age have already seen gay or lesbian couples, they might have also already experienced some type of sexual confusion within themselves, so why not let them explore or at least educate them? What kind of punishment did the students have to face for wanting to attend their school prom with another person of the same sex? Or attending the prom in an attire that was different from the social norm? Is it acceptable to tell today's youth what and what is not acceptable of them or is it better to let them live their own lives and let them feel free to make their own decisions and choices?
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A journalist is going into your life to find the background of each criminal, rapist, murderer, public official, anyone in particular to find out answers, to get ahead of other news stations, and to inform their viewers. A day in the life of a journalist is not only long hours, but it's stressful, tiring, dangerous, and finding every single detail out there. So this dance is in the newspapers and over the media.
Most of the news today is either horrible or pointless. If there isn't a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or the death of someone, it's something caddy like the newest diet crave or Heidi Montag's nose.
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I don't so much defend celebrities, because they're celebrities for a reason. I do defend small town people who just went through a life changing, devastating experience. It's hard enough to face problems thrown at you unexpectedly, but even harder when it's always a constant reminder.
Real stories are out there, and journalist won't stop to dig and find them, the thing to remember is putting yourself in that position, what would you do if this happened to you, how would you feel.
Whether or not to post someones name, like a rape victim, whether it's ethical to state someones address so there's no confusion, or even to mention someones sexual orientation, whether they are homosexual etc. It's hard to come to a conclusion on these types of matters, if we went ever really affected our self. It's easy for us to say ya print it, because it has nothing to do with ourselves. Ethical or not, a people should always you good judgement and taste. Although, I do have to say, if I was a homosexual and I had saved the president, I would want it in the papers, all over the media to support gay pride. It's not every day someone saves the president.
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My main point is to defend if something is ethical is hard and one can't really understand the situation till it happens to them self personally. In the real world, use your greater instincts, be the bigger person, and walk in someone else's shoes for a change.
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My main point is to defend if something is ethical is hard and one can't really understand the situation till it happens to them self personally. In the real world, use your greater instincts, be the bigger person, and walk in someone else's shoes for a change. Whether or not someone wanst to attend a dance and wear what they want is their decision, media will turn it around no matter what, but hey their still paying to go
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Part I:
I have to say that I also agree with the majority of these posts. Although what happened with Itawamba County Agricultural High school is completely outrageous and I wish I could say "I can't believe this happened."However, I actually can believe that it happened. Our society is not completely open with the gay community. So the fact that this girl's prom was cancelled because she wanted to go with her girlfriend wearing a tuxedo is not surprising. (This is not to say that the decision of the school's administrators is acceptable).
I believe that this school is not only trying to control people's beliefs on sexual orientation, but it is also trying to maintain and enforce gender roles. I think it is ridiculous that the school would not allow girls to go to their proms with tuxedos. What if a girl felt like wearing pants? I do not see how that is such a crime.
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Part II:
By enforcing girls to be feminine and I presume men to be masculine, the school is helping to enforce those gender roles that are not only harmful to some individuals, but to the society as a whole. For those males that are more feminine and those girls who are more masculine, the school's decision to enforce such dress codes shuns part of their identity. To have what is supposed to be a support system, like a school, shun who you are could be extremely harmful to those students. Can you imagine trying to hide who you are every day, knowing that if you expose yourself, you would be rejected? Unfortunately, I can understand why so many of the LGBT community commit suicide every year.
I believe that enforcing these gender roles is harmful to society as a whole because it does not allow individuals to dream and create what they want to create. Those gender roles build walls, and those walls limit the potential for great ideas and innovation. Not to mention, gender roles tend to discriminate against woman, forcing them to be the more passive gender.
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Part III:
As far as sexuality is concerned, by making the decision to not have same sex partners attend the prom, the school is sending a message that same sex couples are wrong. In retaliation to the threat of a same sex couple going to the prom, the school said the event would be a "distraction to the educational process".
It is one thing for an individual to discriminate against homosexuals, but I believe the school has no right to enforce the belief that homosexuals are abnormal, when there are obviously people who disagree with this.
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When I first heard about this in the news, I was shocked and pretty disgusted. I’m not naïve enough to think that everyone in this country is open to the LGBT community; obviously there is a serious problem in this country in accepting the LGBT people, especially among adults. What really made me angry though, is that a school board would cancel a prom for an entire school because one student wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom. The message this sends to the entire school community is clear; being LGBT is so unacceptable that they would cancel an entire prom so there would be no chance of a lesbian couple attending. School board’s have a responsibility to the students in their district to act in the best interest of students, it isn’t their job to decide if being a lesbian, being gay, or being whatever is acceptable or unacceptable, it isn’t their job to tell student who they should or shouldn’t date, and it certainly isn’t their job to tell a female she can’t wear a tuxedo to her own damn prom. What’s more, when they decided to cancel the entire prom they made her the target of blame for her peers. I imagine many people were understandably pissed when prom was cancelled and the school board is clearly seeking to use her as scapegoat, probably hoping to further shame her for her sexual orientation.
When this kinda thing happens it can’t be allowed to go unnoticed, although this story is obviously out in the public eye, I wonder how many other times this has happened without anyone making a big deal of it. The problem is that whenever someone is denied the same rights as others based on their sexual orientation, it absolutely is a big deal. It shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of activist groups to right these wrongs either. The purpose of government is to uphold the rights and freedoms of every American, yet there is a blatant blind spot when it comes to the LGBT community.
Also, I feel as though the South has been using their legacy of prejudice and hate as a way to justify the continuation of prejudice and hate. Whenever something like this occurs in the South, there is almost always someone who says, “Yeah, well, it’s the South.” Unless I’m much mistaken in my US history, I’m pretty sure the whole civil rights, equality, and freedom thing applies to the whole country. Didn’t we decide way back with the Civil War that the South is still a part of this country and has to follow the laws of this country? I think it’s bullshit that people think that just because something happens in the South it’s enough justification for hate. We need to take back the free pass card we sent South, every part of this country should be held to the same standards for treating people equally.
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Proms at my high school sucked. Every dance my high school hosted within the last 6 to 7 years was more or less the exact same. All the same tunes and all the same games were always played. Although the students at my high school were a bunch of narrow-minded, ignorant juveniles, I'm pretty sure the variance of the normalcy of our "proms" would have been widely appreciated.
I think the school was really wrong in this situation. Throughout our nation, the government is getting close to almost legalizing the marriage of same sex couples. It's sad that a high school community would restrict prom dates to only opposite sex couples. I thought high school was a stage of ones life where one can develop their own personal identity and grow into the person they want to be. Maybe I'm wrong? At my high school, there were never any same sex "couples" to attend prom. However, it wasn't uncommon for two girls or two guys to go to prom together. It was a fun way to get their friends from other schools to go to our prom. If that were the case at this school, would it still be questioned? I would think that would get young people kind of aggravated; you know how bad of an idea it is to aggravate young people.
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Just when you think society has taken a few positive steps forward with the handling of equal rights, it seems to take a few giants leaps backward. I am still very perplexed as to why some people can't deal with the issue of people being gay or lesbian – at the end of day, we all breathe the same air and walk the same earth. Prom is a high school student's mecca. It one of their biggest moments in their young lives and something that they will most likely remember for the rest of their lives (granted they don't drink too much to the point of no recollection). For a school to cancel prom altogether because one lesbian couple was going to be in attendance? I don't know, but that doesn't seem to settle right with me for some reason. I think of myself in that girl's shoes and trying to feel the things she must be feeling. For one, she has to deal with the criticisms and prejudice of being a lesbian, and is now on the national news for being herself and for wanting to attend her high school prom. (The article was on BBC, so its more than national news at this point). I want to know what the rest of the student body thinks about the whole issue. I know I would be pretty damn pissed if my prom was canceled because of some injustice like not letting a lesbian couple attend. I wish the article had quotes from other students or teachers or the people who are running the school. It would be equally for the rest of the school to ridicule her or to outcast her solely because she was the reason their prom was canceled. For the mere fact that she was just being herself.
One like that made me stop and think twice was the last sentence of the article when she asked a teacher why it was so wrong for her to show up with her girlfriend, and she was told to remember where she was. She is in Mississippi. So what's the big deal? Why does it matter where she is, what state she is in or what town she is in. We all play by the same rules, using the south as an excuse for a ridiculous act isn't fair game. Its unfortunate that we live in a democratic society, yet the school system is basically a monarchy. They are minors in a school system that really have no say on the issue. What if the majority of the students didn't care that she wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom and wanted the prom to go on anyway? There isn't much they can do about it and that's pretty pathetic.
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I remember reading about this right when it happened a couple of weeks ago and it was gut wrenching. To imagine that a place is so far behind in social justices is shocking and disheartening – we live under a vague and even wrong assumption that America is free and proud and that anyone can accomplish anything – yet these pretenses are slashed as soon as word gets out about something like this. How can this be happening? IT’s embarrassing for the entire southern part of America as it is living up to its stereotype of being bigoted and unjust toward minority groups. I even heard some chuckles as it was revealed that it was Mississippi that was the state in which this was taking place, almost like “yeah, this would be happening there, I’m not even that surprised. Gay people just shouldn’t live there.” In some cases I see that point. If you’re living in a place that doesn’t respect a person’s orientation, then leave. Make it easy on yourself and just get out. But then I counter that argument and think, what about the people that can’t just pick up and leave? Or better yet, why don’t the people that are uncomfortable with it leave? Or my favorite one, why are they uncomfortable at all? They have put this girl in a terrible position by making her the bad guy – the kids at her school see it as her fault that prom is cancelled which is not right. It was the school’s decision to cancel prom rather than facing a tough social issue. They have made her a scapegoat and possible engrained a negative impression of homosexuals onto the other students’ minds – they could associate the negativity of their prom being cancelled with all homosexuals, instead of correctly associating it with the closed-mindedness and bigotry of the school they were raised in! It’s shocking. I understand that people are uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality and that some people may even be uncomfortable at the thought of their children going to a dance with people of opposite orientations (I don’t understand why people think this way, I’m just aware that they do), but to cancel the dance all together makes it seem like it’s so evil that the whole idea it was connected to should be wiped out at well, as if everything that homosexuality touches should be burnt and forgotten about. The fact that teachers are impressing this into their students is frightening. They would rather pretend something doesn’t exist, lying about the true nature of society, than face issues head on, promoting an example of strength and open-mindedness to the youth of the area. Although this makes me feel more satisfied with where I was brought up and my education, I think I’ve lost respect for the education system as a whole.
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After reading this post I was appalled. I could not believe that in today's world people are still so unwelcoming of others. After everything that has happened in the past; wars, fights, and debates all over race you would think more people would be more accepting. Not saying that the general public has not gotten better because they have. I worked on a community service project senior year called "Gay Prom" which was a project to raise money to host a prom for high school students who are gay. My father, step-mother, step-sister, a group of business men and women, as well as three high school homosexuals all took part in planning the “Gay Prom.” The reason for "Gay Prom" was because many gay students, whether out of the closet are not, are scared, embarrassed, or just nervous to go to their prom. Gays that are not out are nervous to bring a date of the same sex. Gay couples should have the same rights and feel just as comfortable going to prom and having fun with the person of their choice. The idea for “Gay Prom” was brought up by an older group of homosexual friends. From firsthand experience they understand what it is like to be in the shoes of high school gays today. Their goal was to create a prom environment where the gay and lesbian high school teens from all the schools in the area could go and be themselves. This past year was the first prom and it went fantastic. It was not exactly what they were picturing but it turned out great. Older gay couples actually ended up attending the event but in a different portion of the hall. The older gay couples paid for the benefit so that the price was lower for the high school kids. A portion of the cost of the event went to an organization known as the Rainbow Room, a place where gay and lesbians can go to talk. At the event there was a DJ, a dance floor, a theme, tables, and a buffet style dinner. Although I believe that this event is a wonderful idea, considering I did work to make it happen, I really wish that the gay and lesbian teens felt more comfortable going to their proms. The school board in Mississippi had no right to cancel the prom over the fact that student Constance McMillen wanted to bring another female student. I feel bad for Constance McMillen. As she said, “A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this.” She should not have to feel that way at all because she did nothing wrong. In no way shape or form should anybody be ridiculed for their sexual orientation. Constance McMillen has every right, just as ever other high school student, to enjoy her memorable night at prom.
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Are we really looking at this? Come on can’t we just get over the fact that queer people will keep on trying to get the same rights as straight people, even as far as going to the prom? This is ridiculous hearing this in the news day after day. Look at our values as a society. I believe it is ok for gay and lesbian people to like each other, but for them to change our society are a complete disturbance. We need to look at ourselves as a whole, and review the image we are placing on the world. Most other nations in the world are not particularly fond of homosexuality, especially the Middle Eastern Islamic nations. I think if we keep on changing our society as a whole, our relationships with these countries could possibly be strained. We don’t no longer consider ourselves as a superpower in the world according to obama. Look what he does the world. Apologizing for everything America has done over the years is not a good stand to take. What’s done is done, and we should stand behind the decisions we made. Simply going against those nations make us have a soft image as a country. I think this makes us more vulnerable to terrorism. If we keep on passing these stupid and unnecessary laws, the next thing you know we will be seen as a gay nation. That is nothing to be proud of at all. We should be more aware of the image we place on the world, and the image other countries that are developing look up to. I still think America is the greatest country in the world despite the radical legislation that this congress keeps on passing and trying to pass. No one wants to see this radical healthcare pass that nancy Pelosi is trying to pass. We don’t want to look like a gay nation. Enough is enough, they have the right to like each other and that’s it. Leave rights that are exclusive to straight people to straight people. We should look at ourselves in the mirror and realize what we’re doing to our country. We used to be the most powerful nation in the world, now were just depleting that status every time we pass a stupid piece of legislation.
Before you know it, we will have a gay president. If that happens, it might as well be Armageddon. All hell would break loose if that happened. Being a gay nation is nothing to be proud of at all. We need to reexamine our values. We used to be a nation founded under god, and now were just a nation. We need a set of values to guide us.
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This is a pretty bad one. I really don’t know how people get away with this stuff, and I really hope the ACLU really gives it to them. I really feel like things like this should not happen in civilized societies, which leads me to believe that Mississippi is not civilized. The comment by her teacher at the end is especially revealing of their culture when “she was told she had to remember where she was”. It is certainly no secret that many people foster negative feelings about homosexuals, but to openly discriminate like this is very foreign to me. I have heard plenty of discriminatory remarks behind closed doors, and I have even cracked a joke or two of my own in my less mature days, but to see such discrimination institutionalized and so open in this day and age is disgusting. I am not excusing the actions of my friends or of myself, but the difference in magnitude is hugely significant, and the impact is far, far worse when a school system not only condones, but acts on behalf of bigotry and ignorance.
Another aspect that bothered me in this story is that the students are mad at Constance McMillen instead of the school board who banned the event. I would think that in many places, people would be up in arms protesting the school’s decision, not rallying behind them, and blaming the oppressed minority. I know that at that age, even the most intelligent students are often still immature and unenlightened, so it really doesn’t come as a shock to me that the students blame Constance, but it is still very sad and unfortunate that many people must wait so long before they learn right and wrong.
Lastly I want to talk about how trivial the school is being. It almost reminds me of Plato’s Apology where Socrates is on trial and all of the accusers sort of know they are wrong, so they pretty much say that he can either confess and apologize and receive a slap on the wrist, or he can take the death penalty. They know they are wrong, so they created hoops that she must jump through in order to attend like not arriving with her girlfriend and not wearing a tuxedo. They tried to offer her and themselves a way out, but with them still retaining their beliefs. However, like Socrates, she did not take the deal, and retained her dignity by making them deal out a punishment that was not befitting of the crime. I honestly applaud her efforts, and I think that it is people like her who help push equality movements forward. With out people who are willing to make unpopular decisions, who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their convictions, these movements would never progress.
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This story really disgusted me. To be honest, I can't really say that I'm surprised though, because going back to what the girl's teacher said "remember where you are." This girl lives in Mississippi, one of the "reddest" states out there. By no means, however, does that justify the actions that are being taken at this school. After all of the LGBT issues we've covered in class, I feel like this article really drove home the ridiculous prejudices that still exist towards people in that community. Two main things bothered me about this story. First, and a little less serious, is the school's restriction on what Ms. McMillen wanted wear: a tuxedo. For anyone who hasn't been to a prom recently/at all, today's prom dresses are little more than nightgowns. The "down to there" necklines, revealing cutouts, and skintight fabrics leave little/nothing to the imagination. So to be quite honest, a state as conservative as Ole Miss should be thrilled that a female student would rather cover up in a suit than show off every inch of her body. I can't think of any restrictions placed on straight students at proms either. Girls are allowed to wear dresses that are short or long, tight or poofy, modest or risqué. Boys aren't even required to wear a tuxedo if they don't want to. Hell, they could wear a zoot suit for all the administrators could care. Couples are even allowed to attend in dresses/tuxes made of DUCT TAPE.
Secondly, and the main issue with the actions taken by the school is the blatant prejudice at work here. How is it the job of school administrators to judge whether students' lifestyles are "moral?" How is that any human's job? That's the thing. It's not. But in any case, cancelling a prom because girls want to go together is just ridiculous. At every dance I've ever been to, the way "straight" girls dance with each other is just about as raunchy, if not raunchier, than the way they dance with boys. They act like since they're both girls, they're allowed to dance as slutty as they can and it's okay because they're just "friends." But the way some girls dance with boys is basically vertical sex. They literally mount each other on the dance floor. So if two girls want to go together as a couple, what the hell is the problem? It's not going to be any more sexual than anything high school students have seen before. Just because there's an unmerited stigma that follows LGBT people, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to go to dances together. It's just ridiculous. The whole issue is merely a case of a society that refuses to let go of old notions and join in the more accepting views of the modern world.
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I was completely shocked when I read this story. How could they cancel a school prom just because a girl wanted to bring her girlfriend? Not only is this girl going to get completely blamed for the situation, but it makes the school look absolutely horrible. Should we not being moving on from this discrimination? I really thought we were over it. This is the same thing as saying that they will cancel the dance if an Asian girl wanted to come. It is the exact same discrimination. Any person, no matter who they are, if they wear sweatpants and a hoodie, should be allowed to attend prom.
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To be honest, this article disgusts me. But in another way it does not surprise me. Many people are still so closed to homosexuality. It is sad that it came to this. To cancel a prom because a girl wanted to bring another girl is something that should not happen these days.
My neighbor went to Catholic school for his whole life and expressed these prejudice to me. He said that he knew of a close friend that is gay, but had to bring a girl to prom just so he could go. He knew deep down that if he tried to go with his boyfriend it would not be permitted. That is simply a sad fact. The face that he was not able to go with the person he truly wanted to go with is sad.
The school district is mistaken in thinking that no gay or lesbian couples would try to come to prom. It truly sad that the school district would live in times where gay couples would be discriminated against. I am sure the school district had encountered real world experiences where there were gay and lesbian couples. They are actually hurting themselves. I am positive that people did boycott shutting down the prom. It is simply ridiculous. That is the bottom line. Because the school district made it seem like their fault is even worse. In today’s society there should be equal treatment and this school district is clearly unaware of this. She should have been allowed to go with whom she wanted to go with. I am sure not every parent at the school approved of who their daughter or son went prom with. However the school seemed to be okay with it because it was a straight couple. This simply does not add up.
The fact that the article stated that she needed to remember where she was is even more ridiculous. This girl is in America and should have all the freedoms that every other person does. Even if this part of America is more ‘religious’, it should not matter. She lives in a free country that is supposed to protect her rights as an individual. This school is denying her rights to express her feelings. I also, find it hard to believe that others at the prom would find this offensive. In my experience, young people are even more open to new ideas. They seem to be more open to homosexuality because it is something that exists in society and always will. I sincerely hope that people look at this act as discrimination and act accordingly. I would hope there will be laws that will counteract this type of discrimination, but until then it is up to the people to act out against this awful discrimination.
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I find it absolutely ludicrous that an issue like this is still causing such a stir in 2010. The school boards cancellation of the prom simply because a female student wanted to take another female student is a startling revelation of how much bigotry still exists in the world. Just a decade ago this wouldn’t have surprised me, but I thought we had made progress in addressing equality of treatment for all individuals. I mean, after all, freedom of expression and freedom from persecution are integral in our country’s founding ideologies. I could go on about the injustice of banning Ms. McMillen and her girlfriend from any event on the basis of sexual orientation, however, the fact that this took place in a school is just morally reprehensible.
Schools are supposed to be a place of learning, somewhere everyone should feel accepted and where that message of acceptance is constantly reinforced through the words and actions of those in charge of administering it. When the school board tells a student they cannot bring their date because they are of the same sex they are taking the position that same sex relationships are wrong. While I don’t expect everyone to agree with same sex relationships, I would like to believe that we would all like our children to grow up in an academic environment that espoused positive virtues like acceptance and pushed students to open their minds rather than close them.
Also, it is not the schools place to take issue with a student’s sexual orientation. This aspect of a student’s life has nothing to do with the classroom and should therefore be kept out of the equation. Obviously if classroom disruptions due to such a situation were to arise, they would need to be addressed, but they should be handled no differently than similar situations featuring students of opposite sexes. With that being said, If a school is enforcing the rules they undoubtedly put in place against sexual displays and acts such as kissing (I know my prom did), than the fact that one or more couples may potentially be members of the same sex should not matter anyway. The school reacted with the close minded mechanism of exclusion and then took the whole situation one shameful step further by cancelling the prom altogether when their barring of McMillen attending with her girlfriend caused a stir. Nothing they did sent anything but prejudiced messages to those students who are supposed to be under their guidance, and they should be ashamed of themselves.
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This school district in Mississippi is a disgrace. The fact that they would openly discriminate against homosexuals is disgusting. We are not in the 19th or 20th centuries anymore, I would not be surprised if this school district still had racist tendencies. Although I would not doubt it considering southern states' history, especially Mississippi. Any of the people that had a factor in this decision should be fired because of discrimination.
What people fail to realize is that some of the most powerful people that have ever lived were actually bisexual or homosexual. One prime example is Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was one of the best and smartest military practitioners of all time. Homosexuals have been around forever. There hasn't been a time in human history when every single person was heterosexual. It is pretty pathetic that the human race still hasn't accepted homosexuals into normal human society.
As being a former homophobe, yes I admit it, I can safely say that I was ignorant and completely wrong. There is no possible way one can justify discrimination against homosexuals. The Bible could even be considered irrelevant in this issue. Considering I went to Catholic school from K through 12, I would know. They taught us to not always take the Bible literally. Yes, this came out of a priest's mouth.
I live in a household of staunch republicans, my father being the most extreme. I have grown up being brainwashed into thinking homosexuals were evil and would go straight to hell. Not until I reached junior year of high school did my mind begin to open up. I could finally see that through scientific evidence, homosexuals are born like every other human being. They are born homosexuals, it is not a choice, they cannot help it. So why should we discriminate because they have a sexual attraction to another human being, that just happens to be the same sex. It is just as disgusting as discriminating against other races.
People from the south, for the most part, not all, are very very close-minded. Would it really hurt them physically if they saw two females or two males at the prom; dancing and enjoying themselves, not hurting anyone. I guess their brains are not mature enough to handle something a little bit different. Hopefully one day parents won't teach their children such ignorant thoughts. One day this may never be an issue, but that won't happen until people like this can finally see that THEY are actually the evil ones.
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It is sad that in this day and age a lesbian couple cannot enjoy going to a high school event based on their sexual orientation. It is terrible that Itawamba County Agricultural High School would cancel the prom based on one couple. Not only are they punishing this lesbian couple, but they are letting down all of the juniors and seniors at the school. This will only further alienate the couple and make people despise them. Prom is a very memorable event for the students and their dates, and is a night you will always remember. It is something you have been looking forward to for all of high school and have discussed, stressed, and fought about with your friends. By shutting down this year's prom, the students must be flipping out. The school district is just digging themselves a deep hole because what they are doing is very wrong. They are only bringing attention to their school district and their extremely old fashioned beliefs. They are clearly being prejudice against gays and lesbians and now the LGBT community is upset. Its scary that the school district would think that the best solution to this "problem" is to just cancel the prom. McMillen even asked for approval and didn't just show up to the event. The school board cannot decide who someone can bring as a date to prom or what you are allowed to wear. It is completely ridiculous that she would be banned from wearing a tuxedo. I could understand if she was wearing something obscene, but wearing a tuxedo is in no way offensive to anybody. It is also really sad that the school stated that they would ask the couple to leave if any other students felt "uncomfortable". It is disgusting that the school is this anti-gay rights and thinks what they are doing is okay. Clearly they did not realize the news coverage that this story was going to attract. I really hope that the students at this high school don't completely make McMillen and her girlfriend's lives miserable over this. It isn't fair that they are being punished for something they believe in. Bringing someone of the same sex to prom is in no way harmful or offensive to any of the other students. The school district is trying to make it seem like it is okay to leave people out if their views aren't the same as "normal people". It is frightening that people would send their kids to a school that makes it seem like it is perfectly okay to alienate a couple like this. It is a shame that the school responded by not only compromising the happiness of McMillen, but ruining the rest of the school's fun as well.
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This article is completely ridiculous. Is a school even able to do something like this? I guess with the excuse they used it kind of finds a hole in the system, but the fact that they did it was entirely unethical and completely out of line. Either way, this school should be completely ashamed of itself. Now that I read some of the comments posted prior to mine, apparently there aren’t any laws that prohibit this kind of thing. This is ridiculous in itself; if a person chooses to be a homosexual that should be their decision and not be judged by anyone else. I mean, people are allowed to have their own opinions, but when it completely shuts out a group of people it’s not cool. If students or parents really would have had a problem with this then those individuals could just not go to the prom. Canceling it and lying about the reason is so dumb. Prom is specifically meant for a student to bring a date and to enjoy themselves, if this happens to be with someone of the same sex, who the hell cares? It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I know we had a lesbian couple at my senior prom and it really had no effect on the rest of the student body, for the most part, nobody really cared. You see girls that are just friends dance with each other at prom anyways so what’s the difference if those girls happen to be an item. I personally would much rather see that than couples with a guy and girl when they are basically having sex on the dance floor. I feel that is a lot more distracting then two girls. I am, however, not surprised that this happened. Like I stated before, I do not in any way think that it is right, but it was not a surprise to me. It’s the same thing with race problems with people from that generation. They seem to be stuck in these traditional views and when something differs from those particular views, it is rejected. Exactly like what happened in this situation. I think this school should really take a look at themselves and evaluate their views on certain things. Not only was this wrong, but look at all the negative attention it brought to this school. Wouldn’t it have been so much easier to just allow this to happen instead of having your school’s name posted up everywhere on the internet and in the news? I know now that if I ever saw the name of this school again in the news, this would be the first thing I’d think of, they need to rethink this and see if this stupid thing they did was really worth it.
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When I read this I was really surprised. Why would they cancel a prom just because a girl wanted to bring her girlfriend to the high school problem. I think its ridiculous. As a society, we are already trying to accept LBGTs. When something like this happens, it makes the whole society take one big step back further. How are we ever going to make progress on accepting LBGTs in our society if we keep moving backwards.
The girl might already have a tough time, too by being who she is. To a lot of people she is different. Maybe some students in her high school don't like her. By this girl wanting to take her girlfriend to prom and the whole school canceling is going to make everything worse for her. All of the other students will really not like her because of this even if it was not really and should not have been her fault. Or this whole thing can go in another direction. The other students should step up and support her rights and everyone else's. They should realize this is not fair not just for them not being able to go but also that the girl has to go through this.
This makes me think why would the school even do this. Do they have a problem against other people similar to her because if they do they have a lot of prejudice going on. I can see somewhat from their point of view. I can see that maybe they do not want to expose the other students to things like this or maybe they are worried about what the parents might thing. Maybe even they want their school to have a certain reputation. Either way, though, this is not acceptable. We first have to make progress in order for everyone to accept. By canceling the prom, though, was definitely taking it too far.
I can see maybe why they just wanted her to wear a dress, but that should not have really been a problem. Even if they did want to make rules it should have been just that. Not to decide to cancel everything. It makes me think who was the one to decide all of this. They all had to have the some opinions. They should have heard her side of the story before they did this. What will happen if another situation comes up like this one, which is very likely. Are they just going to cancel again. If they do, this problem will never go away.
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Is it weird to say that I'm not surprised that this happened? I mean as much as our generation has accepted gay/lesbian culture, our parents generation and those who run the school may not have. It is terrible that this happened because lets face it prom is for the students. It is supposed to be a night that you remember from high school and enjoy it to the fullest for each person attending. I know at my school you could go in groups say 3 girls don't get a date they all can go together and what not. So what is the weird part about having an open lesbian couple go together. Is it that odd to see girls dancing with each other at these events? Might as well stop that too. I won't say I'm surprised by this but I do find it wrong.
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Part 1: This really sucks. First off, the girl feels terrible about something that she shouldn't have to feel guilty about–her feelings. While it was brave of her to ask for permission, I would have just rather shocked everyone the day of prom. Then what? Would they have a whole conference to decide that her and her girlfriend were going to get kicked out? It would have been controversy but obviously that's what this entire scenario is about. One thing that bothers me is that prom is a time to mingle, dance, and have the time of your life with your friends and classmates. By this time in high school, you pretty much know who you want to be around. And if that so happens to be your spouse, so be it. And if your spouse happens to be of the same sex….SO BE IT STILL!
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Part 2: I went to four proms in my high school years and I've seen a number of things: I've seen people go without a date, guy or girl; I've seen two girls attend, both wearing dresses; I've seen girls wear tuxedos. Ultimately, that's all up to them. Not only does it feel like it's not my business to intervene with each person's comfort with themselves, but it definitely is my responsibility to accept these individuals for who they are and how they feel most comfortable.
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Part 3: One part of the article that was disturbing was the very end where they told the girl to "remember where you are." If she is required to be aware of her surroundings for an issue like this, then the board needs to remember what year it is. I'm pretty sure if the school took a poll to see how many people would feel absolutely uncomfortable if they let this couple attend the prom, not many would say that they were. In this new day and age people are a lot more open to themselves, each other, and unfamiliar ideas. It seems that the adults took it upon themselves to ruin one of the most profound memories of high school for this group of teens. Poor use of power on their part. They've created more problems than they've solved (which wasn't a problem to begin with). Not only are other students going to misunderstand the girl's actions in correlation with the cancellation of prom, but they also will create anger towards the school board for this poor decision. I'm sure there are parents out there willing to back that up, support their children.
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Part 4: Overall, I would just say that they are taking this too far. They're worried about way too much. Canceling a prom is not going to "protect" other students from anything. Homosexuality is not something to be protected from. It won't make you blind. It's not contagious. It's a date preference. Let the girls live some life.
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I do not see the harm that would be caused by allowing these girls to be dates at their prom. It’s the 21st century you would think that people would be more open minded about these things. Its not like being gay is not mainstream in today’s culture. The school is making a bad name for themselves and ruining senior year for a lot of students. By cancelling the prom they are putting a target on these girls for abuse from other students. I am not surprised this is taking place in Mississippi. It seems that this state is always involved with some sort of racism or segregation dispute. I remember watching a HBO special called Prom Night in Mississippi that followed a high school who segregated their prom between blacks and whites for decades. In the end the prom was desegregated but not attended by most the white students. I think if this happened at a school in the north gay couples would be more welcomed at a prom.
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This whole situation seems to me like its get way out of hand. Because of one couple, who might not have even been allowed to attend, the entire prom gets canceled. That just seems ludicrous to me. For a public school not to allow a homosexual couple to attend also sounds pretty unconstitutional to me, but who really follows the constitution these days? I think the school should probably let the couple attend as long as there not going to cause problems for other students. I do think the lesbian couple could have helped their own case by not stating that one of them would be wearing a tuxedo. I understand they have a right to wear what they want most of the time, but proms do have separate dress codes for boys and girls. Anyway, if you knew that what you wanted to do would inevitably cause controversy, wouldn't you at least try to tone down your actions to a more tolerable level.
Since this situation is taking place in Mississippi, it makes a little more sense why the school took the action it did. I imagine this town as pretty conservative in nature which would make me believe that many of the parents and school authorities involved would be resistant to such a progressive action. This does not make what the school did right, it just gives some perspective to know where they are probably coming from with their ruling. I just do not understand why the school canceled the whole thing instead of just banning the one couple from attending. It is not really fair to all the other kids, who have to miss out on a huge part of their lives because of one couple. I'm sure if the other students were polled the large majority would have no objection to the lesbian couple attending. This disparity between the kids and the decision making adults is the main problem in the situation I think. Adults somehow find it okay to cancel an entire prom because someone who most of the students probably accept is going to attend with them. It just doesn't make any sense.
Also, referring to the ACLU's statement on the situation, I think that they are correct in saying that the school cannot legally prevent the lesbian couple from attending. I also liked the fact that the ACLU created a compromise by saying that the couple must be able to attend but could be thrown out if they were bothering anyone else, like the usual policy for anyone, straight or gay. I have personally experienced gay couples at dances who didn't bother anyone, they just kept to themselves mostly, and that was okay. But I've also seen some that are all over each other in a way that would be disgusting no matter what parties were involved.
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The fact that a girl is not allowed to bring her girlfriend to prom is absolutely ridiculous. The school board should have no right to judge what is an “acceptable” relationship. I understand if the only reason the school prohibited a lesbian couple at the dance was because they were concerned about the safety of the girls (safety as in if they thought other students were going to harass them). However, this is not the case. Also, what does the school care if a girl wants to wear a tuxedo? This is 2010. Girls should be allowed to wear whatever they want to their own prom. If a girl wants to wear a tuxedo and dance with her girlfriend—she should damn well be able to do it.
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This story is actually very sad. I don’t care what anyone else thinks or says but I am so annoyed with the issue of LGBT. When is the world going to get over this concept? Love is love, no matter what form it is in so everyone needs to leave these people alone! If everyone were comfortable with gay people there would never be a thought of cancelling the prom at all. Unfortunately the school knows that there are going to be families of the students that will not be okay with two lesbians attending the prom so they feel like they are forced to make this decision and have no other option. They might not want to run the risk of losing students or faculty that does not agree with them. In all likelihood the school board might actually be okay with it, but it is the community as a whole that they are more worried about pleasing. If I were the parents of both of those girls I would be outraged. I also feel really bad for those two girls because they did not ask to be gay. It is bad enough that LGBT people are socially rejected as it is, they do not need the whole school being mad at them too.
If I were to put myself in the shoes of the other students at the school, I would be so upset if my prom were to be cancelled. Just thinking back to the proms I attended I remember that those were the best times of my life so far. These kids should not be deprived of having the same experience that I did.
I have a friend who went to a school where two boys went to prom together as dates and everyone was fine with it. My friend even said that those boys were the most conservative couple at the prom and represented the school well.
From my perspective I went to a catholic high school so a lesbian or gay couple could not attend my prom. It is a real shame that the world has been taught to have these views about people. It is basically along the lines of discrimination of race, they both get treated differently and it is not fair. I want to know when the world is going to stop discriminating and just leave people alone. If it does not affect them directly why do people care so much? Unfortunately I do not know if things will ever completely change, they might improve but sadly I do not believe we will ever get all the way there. Situations such as this story cause setbacks in our effort to put a stop to the discrimination against the LGBT community.
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I suppose some people will see that this occurred in Mississippi and may not be completely surprised by the ignorance and homophobic actions the county took to prevent same-sex couples from going to their own prom. High school is a place for kids to become adults, but this high school is basically teaching its students to hide anything controversial, lie about reality, and only smile and talk about socially acceptable things. Apparently homosexuality is wrong. What kind of high school doesn’t want its students to be able to express themselves truthfully and learn who they really are? This kind of attitude is why so many gays and lesbians are still in the closet and afraid to live as they would like. The school board members would rather cancel the entire prom than accept that some of their sons, daughters, neighbors, friends, and maybe even themselves are homosexual. They are teaching their students to despise homosexuality and believe that all it does is cause a disturbance in the lives of “normal” people.
The school thinks there may be other students at the prom who would feel uncomfortable seeing two girls dancing with each other, but that reasoning has nothing to do with two girls dancing with each other; it is all about others who might feel uncomfortable around it. Their ignorance would best be corrected now rather than later when they would make fools of themselves and realize how many people know that it is okay to be homosexual. There are going to be so many real challenges and decisions that these high school students will have to face as adults in the real world, so why not help them prepare for a world that is not in wrapped up in some kind of cocoon? Help them make a healthy transition to adulthood.
High school is supposed to be some of the best years of students’ lives. Sadly, these two girls may look back at their high school years and think how they were actually some of their worst years. They possibly might even regret coming out during high school, all because of a school’s narrow-minded decision that gave the student body a reason to hate them. Their intent to shelter students from encountering anything out of the norm pretty much ruined high school (and maybe more) for these two young girls and harmed the social growth of everyone in the school district. They gave other gays and lesbians who were already hesitant about coming out a reason to feel like outcasts and keep their secret even longer.
I’m just thankful that this didn’t go down in my high school, otherwise I would be embarrassed to tell people where I graduated from.
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I can’t necessarily say I am surprised that there are problems with people still accepting LGBT students in school, but to talk about cancelling a prom because they don’t want a lesbian couple to attend is absurd. As America has grown greatly over the years in both race relations and LGBT issues, it is still a subject that sensitive to many people. I do believe that one-day people will accept all different people of races and all LGBT people, but it is something that takes time. Fifteen years ago, this issue of not letting a lesbian couple attend prom would be a more accepted ruling, but in the year 2010 I think it is so ridiculous that people are getting so offended that they want to cancel prom. The parents who are so offended should not have a say in their child’s prom on issues such as this. These are 17 and 18 year old teenagers who should be allowed to make their own opinions. We are in a time where younger people are breaking the norms and becoming more accepting of all people no matter what creed, race, or sexual orientation. It is good to see the father of one of the girls supporting them, but it really just is disappointing that there are just so many people outraged. What is the most absurd part of this whole article is the fact that the school board considered this whole thing as a “distraction to the educational process” of the school. The implications of the parent’s response on the community is far more unsettling than any other aspect of this issue. The children of the school that were mentioned in the article have mixed responses, which is not unsurprising as they are being educated in the atmospheres that their parents provide. If their parents are unwilling to accept the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals their children would be hard pressed to make such a leap. The debate can then be redirected to a nature vs. nurture discussion. Obviously, I feel that individuals should be open to all with out unwarranted discrimination. I have learned these values from a sound upbringing from open-minded parents, typical of a northeast values. The solution lies with the student’s parents. If they simply sent out a petition for the parents to sign that explains their distaste for the school’s decision, hopes for having the prom could be restored. If the parents took unilateral action to discuss the issue with their children, or ask the school to make advisors available for students confused and or upset over the issue. However, to take action against the entire student body for the actions of two students, who in my opinion did I nothing wrong, is not the appropriate course of action.
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This story shows us that some people are still so ignorant. I know that there are these people, but just the fact of what happened because of a lesbian couple really bothers me. Like Sam said, it’s the 21st century, not the 1900’s. I think that the school took this too far and shouldn’t have canceled prom. Just because a lesbian couple wants to go to prom and a girl wants to wear a tux doesn’t give you the right to cancel one of the nights that most students look forward to. It is unfair to the other students that their prom had to be cancelled because of some people who don’t like gay people. People need to learn and evolve more. Most of our society has accepted gay and lesbians and I can’t understand why so many people can’t accept them. Maybe they don’t like change or it is a religion thing. However, they shouldn’t treat them differently. If they were the ones being looked down upon, they wouldn’t like it. It just doesn’t make any sense to not give these people the same rights just because they like people of the same sex.
Gays and lesbians are people too and it makes me so sad that others won’t allow them to be themselves. This really shows that the school board needs a change and the whole school needs to think about what is right and wrong. I don’t understand how having a lesbian couple is “distractions to the educational process.” I think that the decision to cancel prom is a distraction. Prom is something that many people look forward to and now it was taken away. The school is taking the issue of the gay couple too far. They are hurting the other students and taking away something that the teens love.
The girl is a very strong young woman to deal with all of this hate. She knows that she has created chaos, but she is sticking to her guns and proving her point. She is showing people that no one should be denied their rights. This is something that people need to see and to support. Our children are more acceptable of gays and lesbians, shouldn’t their parents and communities be too?
I just look up to this girl for being true to herself and what she believes. She just wants to be accepted by the people around her and to have all the rights that everyone of her classmates have. She is strong, brave, and someone who knows what she wants and won’t back down without a fight. I just wish that more people were more accepting of other people and this sort of thing doesn’t have to happen. People just need to evolve and become better.
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I do not understand how the school can have such an opinion on this subject. This high school faculty is a bunch of hypocrites. They spend years telling kids to stop discriminating against each other, to stop the name calling and bullying but yet when there is a lesbian in the school, all of a sudden none of these rules apply to them. They have no right to do this to this girl. I even think that they are threatening her very well being since they canceled the prom entirely.
Kids in the high school who were really looking forward to the prom blame her for it being canceled. High school kids are definitely not the most logical and morally sound people in the world. Who is to say that these high school students will not retaliate against her in an extremely abusive manner and possibly hurt her physically? These teachers are starting a black list for everyone in the county to take part in. This is just the start of denying all rights for lesbian and gay people. It is outrageous that they could do something like this after so many years that we have gone through accepting lesbians and gays. We have come a long way from before but this whole catastrophe puts us back to where we started.
So what a girl asked if she could bring her lesbian date to the prom. There is nothing wrong with that. People can be attracted to and love who ever they want regardless of gender, race, religion, etc. It is their choice to live their life this way. No one is telling the teachers that they cannot live their lives the way they are so what gives them the right to do so? Exactly, no one. Also, what is the deal with the tuxedo comment? Why can she not wear a tuxedo? Sounds to me like this high school is a public high school so therefore there must not be a dress code. Every day, students get to wear what ever they want, so why does this not apply? Does this just make it more awkward for homophobic people? People need to learn to accept that lesbians and gays can flaunt their relationships in public just like a straight couple does.
I watched her talking on the Ellen show and thought this was ridiculous. She was telling Ellen how she did not want to pretend to be someone she is not. Which is great because she should not have to assimilate to what today’s society happens to call the “norm”. I agree with Ellen, this girl is a hero for being able to stand this strong for her rights at such a young age.
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This lesbian/gay topic will occur as often as the subject of black and white. these people are living within our community and come in many different shapes and sizes, colors and personalities. they could be principals, teachers,our uncles, brothers, or lawyer. regardless of their sexual orientation they should be accepted and not be treated as animals or distinct creatures. These things should not be happening in the 21st century.
these topics are really giving me a headache because if everybody just focuses on their own lives the world would be such a better place. there will not be drama or no violence, etc. in all be so easy if everybody were open for change. im not asking people to put aside their personal beliefs but try to be open minded or ignore it. there is no need to cancel prom for something simple as a lesbian couple attending. why should the whole school suffer the consequences?
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I remember reading this story about a week ago, and I was about as shocked as everyone else when I first heard it. It’s astounding that in the year two thousand and ten schools and other governmental organizations refuse to acknowledge the fact that some girls like girls, and some boys like boys. I could understand if say our entire government came out against gay and lesbian relationships, but that’s something that they will never, ever do for fear of political backlash. So, if we understand that, then the only reasoning this school can have for denying this girl her date is a complete obliviousness to the legitimacy of their relationship. This may be a strong moral argument, if one can prove that gay and lesbian couples are only together to spite god in some sadistic (or masochistic) way. Again, this is a ridiculous thing to stipulate, and also, straight couples have their problems too, especially when dealing with prom.
Prom is a time when the adolescent youth in this country congregate in order to say their goodbyes to their fellow classmates, before going on to bigger and better things. But really, all anybody wants to do at prom is get laid. So you wouldn’t expect the prom date proposals to be any more romantic. This was exactly the case at my high school, when two infamously promiscuous students began dating mid senior year. Early one evening when the girl, who shall remain nameless, was about to perform oral sex on her man, when noticed that her boy toy had shaved his loin parts for some unknown reason. After unzipping his pants and examining further, she discovered the words “Will you go to Prom with Me” written shoddily (probably because it was written upside down) just above his member. And that is why girls should be able to go to prom together.
I’m getting sick and tired of people refusing to legitimize gay and lesbian relationships. I understand if you don’t want them at your church. It’s a free country; you’re allowed to believe whatever you want to believe. But it’s fucking prom. It’s a two hour grinding marathon where everyone is supposed to get their dick paired up with a vagina. So why can’t we expand that time honored tradition to include vagina vagina pairing? If there is one thing that does not belong in the same room with prom, it’s morals. People show up drunk claiming to have just swigged a half gallon of mouth wash. Students bring their friends as dates in order to stay single for the swinging bachelor party to follow at the Jersey shore. Even the chaperones get an occasional bj in the back kitchen. But two girls want to hold hands and slow dance before they become full-fledged adults, and their denied because they have too many X chromosomes. Sad.
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I think it is absolutely crazy that a school would cancel their prom just to prevent a lesbian couple from attending. Not only is this discrimination against homosexuals, it personally affects the two girls, as well as their entire junior and senior classes. Although I find this incident absurd, unfortunately I am not that surprised. Even though we have come a long way regarding racism, sexism, etc., people still find ways to discriminate against those who are different.
Homosexuals have come a LONG way but they still do not have the same rights as heterosexuals. For example, gay people are not allowed to get married. This is a whole different issue, but it is just one thing that discriminates against homosexuals. The fact that a high school would cancel their prom in fear of a gay couple attending is crazy, but also not surprising.
When I think about this incident, I’m sad to say that this could very well happen at my high school. Because I attended a Catholic high school, homosexuals are not accepted. Don’t get me wrong, there were many gay people in my school and most people accepted them. However, under the Catholic religion, homosexuality is considered wrong. For our prom, people were not even allowed to attend the dance without a date. One of my friends didn’t want to go without her boyfriend (who wasn’t allowed to go) and the school president wouldn’t let her attend alone. Now that is crazy! I know schools that allow their students to go to the prom alone, with a group of friends (girls, guys, whoever). However, my school wouldn’t even let a girl go to the prom alone. She was devastated about missing her prom, so I can only imagine how these girls felt.
In addition to McMillen being upset about missing the prom, now the whole school is being punished. When she said “a bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this” I felt so bad because it’s probably true. We all know how malicious high school kids can be, especially when it comes to something as big and serious as the prom. Now, not only does this poor girl have to deal with the fact that she’s be discriminated against, she has the cancellation of the prom on her shoulders, as well as all her classmates hating her for it.
This school and its officials should be ashamed of themselves for their actions. In my opinion, they need to wake up and join the 21st century. Hopefully this incident will open up the eyes of people who would act in the same way, and bring some change into the world of discrimination.
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I totally agree with most people for the most part. That is absurd and crazy. Why in the world would you ever cancel a prom on one couple and their choices. For one, that tells us a lot about what the school stands for. First of all, it was one couple who want to go together. If people did not know they were lesbians, they probably would have been allowed to go as "best friends" or something of that sort. The parents should really fight against what the school did to their children. They are people just like everybody else. They are probably one of the few who are open with their relationships. The school canceling the prom probably made the couple feel horrible and embarrassed or maybe they just did not care because the whole thought of it is ridiculous. Never in a million years would I think the gay controversy would go this far. Who is the school to tell you who you can like or not or who you can go to prom with or not? I guess if it was a private school it would be another conversation. The students should riot or sign a petition for the administration to stop this madness. I am really disappointed that people can not get over themselves and get over people liking the same sex. Maybe it is not what you think is right or what you believe in, but they are NOT you. They are accountable for themselves and nobody else. How would they feel if all of this was happening to them. They act like these kids were doing drugs or committed a murder. Even if the school did not agree with it why would they cancel it and ruin people's most memorable moment in high school. Prom is a very important part of high school. People prepare months or even a year in advance to make sure everything for their prom is perfect. Girls buy their expensive dresses. Boys buy their suits. For the school to just cancel the prom over something so minuscule blows my mind. Is this a joke or something? I kind of want to go to the head of the school and tell them what they are doing is stupid. Anyone who reads about this is probably saying in their heads are you serious? It seems like we are all in elementary school. People know the world has changed so much over the years. The United States is not the conservative country it used to be. It is a country based on freedom. The freedom to like whoever you want and love whoever you want. I hope the students of this school fight hard for this. This situation needs to be dealt with. Yes, the school has the authority to tell their students not to have prom, but that does not mean what they are saying is right. This issue should be brought to somebody over the school board. That poor couple is dealing with way too much out of a dumb situation. The school should give them a scholarship in honor of the foolishness that was done.
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When I first heard about this story on the television, I thought that was a joke. I couldn't believe that this had *actually* happened and it really thew me back a couple of steps. Additionally, the school's "reason" to cancel the prom ("distractions to the educational process") was simply infuriating to me. Since when has the high school prom been part of the educational process?!? I mean, sure, we've all heard the story of that friend of a friend who ran off after prom and had sex in their car or hotel room or something. And from that you can argue that that's simply a lesson about the birds and the bees but I highly doubt that that Mississippi was counting this as the prom's contribution to the educational process. I'm so glad that the family is taking this seriously and are taking legal actions because this is something that simply should not have happened.
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I have to say, that is a pretty petty reason for a school to cancel a prom. Having lived in Mississippi and seeing the old-school, conservative beliefs of the citizens there, I’m not surprised of the uproar that was caused. Still though, that is an extremely mild “offense” for the school to cancel prom for. I mean really, what decade are we living in where a school has a rule that prohibits same-sex dates to prom? While some states are already allowing legal same-sex marriage, it is a shame that there are still backwards towns that don’t allow two girls who like each other to attend prom together.
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The fact that a school district would even consider banning students from the prom due to sexual orientation is incredibly offensive. One persons decision as to who he or she brings as a date has no affect on the other students’ experiences at an event such as prom. It is none of the other students’ business, and it is certainly none of the school boards business. What is even more ridiculous is that the school board attempted to excuse itself by saying they cancelled the event “due to ‘distractions to the educational process.’” Who one student brings to a function like a high school prom has absolutely zero effect on the educational process at that school district. There is literally no connection between sexual orientation of attendants of the event and the educational process that the school district is offering to the community. Although the school district is in a very conservative state, Mississippi, it is still unacceptable for them to flat out retaliate against a student for something that is not even a personal decision. The civil rights movement fought against this type of discrimination. Constance McMillen was right for standing up to the school district. She should not have to deal with “a bunch of kids at school” who “are really going to hate [her] for this.” A similar situation may happen here on our campus. A publicly recognized homosexual progressive fraternity is now officially part of the IFC. It is the exact same situation. The only difference is that the IFC is being tolerant, whereas the board in Mississippi was being intolerant. If the same thing happened here at Penn State, it would be an outrage. These are real life examples of social discrimination that should not exist today. There have been many strides towards civil rights, but there is still work to be done. In the article, McMillen shows how she is just another normal student. But, because she happened to be born homosexual, she is discriminated against and denied the same experiences as “normal” high school students in the district. The worst part is what the school teacher says to McMillen when inquired as to why the school would ban same sex dates an the prom. The teacher responded by telling McMillen to “remember where she was.” Things like this are what make certain people think they are allowed to act that way. State boards and college communities alike need to take lessons from this, and start being more progressive. Hopefully, attitudes like these will disappear within the next few generations. The only thing that can break ignorance and discrimination is education. As the countries education gets better, as it has been, hopefully the next generations will be more tolerant and see everyone as equals.
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I find this story to be really disturbing. I'm not sure what this area is like that this girl lives in, but to cancel the prom because a girl wanted to bring her girlfriend to the prom is absurd. This girl is going to be hated by much of the student body because of the cancellation. I can't think of any defense for the school. This is simply unacceptable. If they are going to ban a same sex couple, they should simply ban anyone from coming to the prom with a date, whether they are of the same sex, or opposite.
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First off, I think that the school had no right canceling its prom because a lesbian couple was going to attend. Why do the school officials care so much? What does it matter? It is just one couple…and even if it were more than one couple, it still would be ridiculous for the school to do such an action. A student’s sexual preference is none of the school’s business. People feel it is okay for heterosexual couples to display their affections in school, although I was not very fond of seeing couples make out in the middle of the hallway…too much PDA for me. However, homosexual couples, who are not permitted to display their relationships, should be able to do the same things that heterosexual couples are able to do. I question whether the school was a catholic school or something. I can see how it would be more of an issue in a religious school environment that does not believe homosexuality is right. Although I am catholic, I do not disagree with homosexuality. My take on the issue is that people who are gay were born that way. I believe that it is not necessarily a choice. Because I believe that it is something people are born with, I do not understand how God could make people in his own image (as the Bible says) just to condemn them to hell. If our God is supposed to love and care about his people, why would he create people in such a way, only to send them to hell when they die? Also, people need to realize that this is how the world is now. Homosexuality is becoming the norm, as it should be. I feel like discrimination has shifted from different ethnic groups and minorities to homosexuals. I feel like the gay community has become sort of the new “race” that others are “racist” of. An event took place when I was in high school that involved discrimination against a gay couple. Two guys kissed in our school’s cafeteria and all the students went crazy. People stood up, shouted at them… Then a couple days after the kiss in the cafeteria, students in my school learned that someone had driven to one of the guy’s houses and thrown a brick in one of his family’s windows at night. Our school really didn’t do anything involving being against what happened in the cafeteria. The two boys did not get in trouble for any reason. However, the student identified as committing the act got in trouble of course. I do not understand what would drive that person to commit such a hateful act. Why do these people care so much? They should focus on themselves and let other people be. When I read this article, aspects of it reminded me of the story previously mentioned and how students in my high school acted when they witnessed a gay occurrence.
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This story is just ridiculous. To think that there are still some people who find it so offensive to be gay that they would ruin a prom for everyone else. I thought that as a country we were finally getting over this issue. A lot of people are born gay, and the fact that there are still places where these people are not accepted is mindboggling to me. To cancel an entire prom based on one gay couple? Come on, I mean this high school is just asking to get bashed by the new politically correct American society. They deserve the negativity that they are receiving.
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It is sad that there is still this issue going on. I understand that people do not like change but it is about time they let people be who they want to be. We have enough rules and regulations to last us a life time, telling people who they can and cannot like is unnecessary. It is a form of racism and it needs to stop. Just because someone is different should not mean they should be banned from a high school prom. The north, for the most part (or maybe just more than the south), has been trying to overcome these issues. You would never hear of a high school canceling their prom because a gay couple wanted to come together or one girl would wear a suit. I know personally, in my school, we had a few girls come to our prom in tuxedos. You cannot discriminate against people just because they are different from you. It is kind of a law!! The south seems to still have a lot of racism and this is a perfect example but that needs to change. We came to this country to be free, be ourselves, and be free of taxes (which is a whole other huge problem I have with the world today). If people cannot be free to be who they want to be then what was the point of breaking away from Britain? The south needs to grow up and change their ways. It is sad to say but I don’t see anything changing until all the old racist people, who are still teaching their horrible ways to children and grand children, die off. That is how it is happening up north, the old people with the grudges are dying and the younger people who understand it is wrong to be racist are taking over. If you think about it, you can almost compare this to the Salem witch trials, minus the whole burning thing. But we are singling out the people who are different and treating them like they do not belong here, like they are below the human race or they are some kind of evil that we need to get rid of. It is absolutely horrible what this girl is going to have to go through now because of the schools reaction. If they would have let her go and not canceled the prom, maybe there would have been a few uncomfortable classmates, but she would not have everyone hating her. The school put the entire blame for canceling the prom on her when it was not even her decision, she actually wanted to go. Way to ruin an innocent child’s life! She is going to need a lot of counseling and support to get through this one; I hope her family at least supports her. I am almost scared that this could cause her to consider suicide and then, if people are thinking correctly, the blame would be completely on the school for how they treated her and exploited her.
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this is a sad and disgusting example of what people see the us south in stereo types. the school board needs to grow up if people want to go to a prom in a same sex coupling than that's their business. the kids at the prom are going for themselves not to see others making out. people should allow everyone to be who they are without harassment. and the school board decided to harass that girl by canceling the prom they made her the scapegoat for everyone to blame. this kind of thing was discussed at my school for prom and we just decided if people wanted to bring a same sex date then good for them for getting a date and coming to the prom. my school would have even allowed the girl to wear a tux we simply never concerned ourselves with such sad displays of hatred. this girl should get a real monetary settlement out of all this for the embarrassment and subsequent harassment she was probably subjected to afterward. I just find this kind of thing sad and demeaning to the girl the lgbt community and the U.S. as a whole.
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I'm really shocked that we are still dealing with the whole same-sex issue today. I do to understand how someone has the right to tell another human being that they are supposed to practice attraction in a certain way. I do not think being gay or lesbian is something that you choose to do, it just is…
I'm a straight guy, but I’ve never had any problems with gay people, in fact I have a gay member in my band and we are cool with him and he is cool with us. We often joke around with each other and it is understood that nothing serious is being said.
With this story, I think Constance should have been allowed to bring her other half from the beginning. There was no way for the school from stopping them from showing up by themselves, so they decided to cancel the whole thing? That is just ridiculous. What give them the right to tell an individual how or who they should be with, whether it be the sex or not, there should be no issue with this what-so-ever.
The senior prom is a dance, a high-school dance that is meaningless, yea you will probably remember who you went with for the rest of your life, but its not like it’s a wedding or anything where who you bring binds you together for the rest of your life. If I was there, and they came in as a couple I would think it was fine. As high-school seniors I would like to think that most people are old enough to act mature and realize that every person in this world is unique and only they control themselves. No one else can control them or tell them what to say or do or how to react.
I'm glad that the ACLU is stepping in on this issue because I strongly believe it is something that they should step in on so that they get the point across that we all are different and unique and if a way of being unique is liking someone of the same sex then so be it. This is the perfect issue for the ACLU to get involved with because it is everything that they stand for and stand behind. If they win this case it will be a huge step in legalizing gay marriage across the whole United States, which wouldn’t bother me either.
I think Sam summed it up best in class when he asked us all a few questions that we aren’t supposed t do according to the bible, and in one way or another, everyone in class raised their hand for a different question. Its just amazing how this whole issue revolves around a religious issue.
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Whoa. They cancelled prom over a couple that happened to be two girls as opposed to one boy and one girl? The hell is this?! First of all, the school’s defense was that it might make other students feel uncomfortable. Statistics show that younger generations of Americans are way more open and tolerant toward same-sex couples. So that argument is of no consequence. Besides, if other students were uncomfortable, so what? What about the lesbian student’s rights? What the school board showed in that demonstration was one thing: pure homophobia. There is no logical or ethical reason to deny these students the right to go to prom.
And I also find it funny when they couldn’t convince the students to stop chasing the issue, they decide to cancel prom all together. Really now? If they were trying to avoid some serious political and media blowback to their reputation, this was no way to do it (because they landed themselves on the news). Are people really this homophobic that they need to ban gay couples from being together where heterosexual couples are? Because that doesn’t make any sense.
Something like this shouldn’t be allowed to happen. If they cancel prom because two girls decided to go to the prom together, what’s to stop them if they cancel prom because a black man and a white woman went to the prom? What’s to stop them from having black people in general attend the prom? This type of thinking is decades old and it’s been stomped out before during the civil rights movement. The only difference is that before there were signs that said, “Whites only” or “Blacks not allowed.” Now they’re handed out in memos in school that have a “friendly reminder” that “Same sex couples are not allowed.”
It’s also somewhat funny that the school board’s official reason for not hosting a prom is due to, “distractions in the educational process.” I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that having two girls dancing together was really detrimental to the education process… at a DANCE. What the hell are you supposed to learn at prom anyways? What the hell does prom have anything to contribute to the educational process? You learn that “taking your date out to very nice places is expensive” and that’s about it.
The whole argument that the lesbian students were a distraction to the educational process also reminded me of some congressmen who refuse to pass laws that secure rights and protections to same sex marriages. “Same sex marriages would be detrimental to the institution of marriage.” …How? Canada has legalized same sex marriages for decades and their couples don’t seem to be divorcing at a faster rate than ours.
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