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Prom Canceled Over Same-Sex Date Request
As if 18-year-old Constance McMillen didn’t have enough obstacles to overcome in her life, she now has the distinction of being the person who got her high school prom canceled.
McMillen, with the assistance of the Mississippi chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, had petitioned the Itawamba County School District Board to allow her attend the Itawamba Agricultural High School prom with her date. The problem, at least as the school board sees it, is that McMillen is a lesbian and her prospective date is a girl.
McMillen’s appeal to the board came after school officials told her that not only were same-sex prom dates against school policy, girls wearing pants and jackets, i.e. tuxedos, was also prohibited. This policy, according to ACLU officials, violates McMillen’s constitutional rights and should be overturned.
But not only did the board refuse to reconsider their policy, they washed their hands of the entire affair by canceling the prom altogether. McMillen is understandably concerned.
“Oh, my God. That’s really messed up because the message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom that they are not going to have one,” she said. “A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this.”
Of course, this isn’t the first school to deal with this issue and it won’t be the last. While some have reversed their policies banning same-sex dates, many more refuse to do so and instead encourage students to organize private proms. In fact, in a statement in which they “apologize for any inconvenience” their decision has caused, the Itawamba County School District Board suggests the community do just that.
So, why do school officials care who a student holds hands and dances with at the prom? I can’t imagine. It’s not like this school is a Catholic one with some sort of biblical standard to uphold. It’s a public school financed by the tax dollars of those who live in the district, which includes McMillen’s family. Not only has the Itawamba County School District failed this student, by canceling the prom they have effectively set her up to take the heat for their failure.
Image: Matthew Sharpe, Clarion-Ledger
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11 Comments
[...] Prom Canceled Over Same-Sex Date Request [...]
A Pill to Treat Head Lice? | Strollerderby commented on Mar 12 10 at 2:28 pm[...] Constance McMillan? She’s the student that was banned from escorting her girlfriend to the senior prom in Mississippi. The local branch of the A.C.L.U [...]
Lesbian To School Honchos: No Prom? See You In Court! | Strollerderby commented on Mar 23 10 at 9:14 amBec commented on Mar 11 10 at 1:28 pmStupid rules like ‘girls cannot wear pants to the prom’ always make the dissident in me want to plan a ridiculous protest. For example, all the boys should attend the dance in pants, but specifically (And obviously) girl’s pants. If the school board wants to pretend that there is no such thing, then all the more fun.
In my school days, your prom ticket was cheaper if you bought tickets as a couple as compared to going stag. I wonder if it’s the same for them. I can’t really figure another reason why it would matter who one’s date is, or why the school officials would even be tracking that information. So if that’s the case, I’d advocate tossing that policy and selling all tickets as individuals. Then it wouldn’t matter who you considered to be your date. Canceling the entire dance because one student questioned your policy is amazingly obstinate.
PlumbLucky commented on Mar 11 10 at 1:46 pm@Bec – I recall our prom tickets were $35 each, $50 per couple. And as long as your date was a student at the high school, they didn’t ask (now, granted if your date wasn’t, you had to “get permission” which really just meant that their name was added to the list and they signed some sort of liability waiver with the school.) Needless to say, many “stag” girlfriends simply coupled up to get the tickets for cheaper.
I would have gone the other direction on the pants/trousers though, and attempted to get a few of my male friends to wear drag. That’s just me though.
And cancelling the dance the way in which they did is reprehensible. Did they take out a billboard and a full page ad with this girl’s name as they reason they’re cancelling it? They may as well have.
Bec commented on Mar 11 10 at 1:51 pmI figured they’ve got a policy that boys can’t wear skirts, so I went to girl-pants automatically. I’m thinking really obvious girly pants, too, like skin-tight slacks embellished with sequins.
LindaLou commented on Mar 11 10 at 2:21 pmWow. Way to show some compassion there, rotten school board. Like it’s not hard enough to grow up gay in the bible belt…
DCMama commented on Mar 11 10 at 3:32 pmI didn’t actually go to my high school prom, because, well, ick… but, I’m pretty sure that even 20+ years ago there were no rules about what you wore and you didn’t need to have a date to go. Why wouldn’t this girl just show up with her date?? (I’m mean, I’m actually glad she challenged the rule, but seriously, who makes these rules? Can a bunch of girls not go to the prom together without dates, lesbians or no?)
Anonymous commented on Mar 14 10 at 3:02 amToo bad, so sad. This is what happens when democracy instead of republicanism (the real one, not the GOP) take over. Majority rule, people. Granted, I think all high schools should cancel all proms due to all the nonsense, debauchery and wasted money they incur.
Shel commented on Mar 17 10 at 1:04 amMy school said the same thing when I went to get my tickets. That it has to be guy I’m going with rather its my girl friend or not, It had to be a guy. I think Its just stupid. they refused to give me tickets until I came up with a guy to go with. I did and even at the door they made sure it was girl and boy. Then once inside same sexes couldn’t slow dance or kiss. I’ve accepted the fact that in my life time close minded jerks aren’t gonna get over themselves. I think if you don’t like what you see then look else were if 2 guys are kissing and 2 girls are holding hands look the other way, no ones forcing you to stare them down or to join in.
Gwyn commented on May 28 11 at 11:12 amReading this made my eyes roll.
I am a 17 y/o girl who has just attended her third prom. My freshman and sophomore years upperclassmen friends of mine had invited me to their proms.
Only my freshman year did I go with a guy, one of my friends who was a junior at the time. Both my sophomore and junior proms I had gone with a group of girls-there was three girls: me, and two friends. I was never questioned about whether my date(s) was a boy or a girl. At the three high schools in the town I live in, girls and guys can slow dance with other members of their same gender. My friends and I do it all the time, since our group has more girls than guys, and most of the time the guys don’t show up. There are some members in my group of friends who believe that homosexuality is wrong- but that doesn’t stop them from slow dancing with their friends.
It’s amazing on how idiotic and unconstitutional schools can be. Don’t they promise that they will not discriminate due to race, gender, disability, or sexuality? Mind, there are several homosexuals/bisexuals in my high school- and my school doesn’t care!
Schools like this make me want to puke!
Heather commented on Jun 08 11 at 1:07 amWhen I went to high school in the 90s, we had a similar ridiculous policy. There was no “stag” – either you had a date of the opposite sex, or you didn’t attend. My senior year I went with a male friend of mine who is now openly gay (and who was private about his sexuality at the time) – we had a great time and mixed and mingled with our group of friends once we were inside, but it was ludicrous that he had to ask me (rather than someone he might have been interested in) just because I was his best friend of the opposite sex. Can you imagine how unfair this is to the schools who don’t have an even number of male and female students? They better find an opposite-sex friend from outside to invite, or they can’t go! Just absurd. By the way, I had a boyfriend at the time and I chose to go with my good male friend instead because I felt that it was really unfair that he wouldn’t get to go at all if we didn’t go together.
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