In WTF News: Mississippi High School Would Rather Cancel Prom than Allow a Lesbian Couple

Meet Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba County Agricultural High School and the scourge of ultra-conservative proms everywhere.

Considering Mississippi is the only state that still incorporates the Battle Flag of the Confederacy to their state flag and has a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage that passed 86% to 14%, this shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Nonetheless, the severe over-reaction by the town and school district is so thoroughly disappointing we still found ourselves saying wtf.

According to Shelia Byrd of the Associated Press:

“Constance McMillen didn’t believe that her Mississippi school district would really call off her senior prom rather than allow her to show up with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

“On Thursday, a day after the Itawamba County school board did just that, the 18-year-old lesbian high school senior reluctantly returned to campus greeted by some unfriendly looks, she said. ‘Somebody said, “Thanks for ruining my senior year.’” Ms. McMillen said.

“The district announced Wednesday that it wouldn’t host the April 2 prom. The decision came after the American Civil Liberties Union demanded that officials change a policy banning same-sex prom dates because it violated students’ rights. And the ACLU said the district’s not letting Ms. McMillen wear a tuxedo violated her free-expression rights.

“The ACLU filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oxford to force the school district to sponsor the prom and allow Ms. McMillen to bring whom she chooses and wear what she wants. District officials didn’t return numerous calls by The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday…

“Ms. McMillen said she didn’t want to go back to Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton the morning after the decision, but her father told her that she needed to face her classmates, teachers and school officials. ‘My daddy told me that I needed to show them that I’m still proud of who I am,’ she said in a phone interview. ‘The fact that this will help people later on, that’s what’s helping me to go on.’

“A school board statement said it wouldn’t host the event in Fulton ‘due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events,’ but never mentioned Ms. McMillen or her girlfriend, who also is a student at the school….

“The school district had said it hoped that a privately sponsored prom could be held. Ms. McMillen said that if that were to happen, she’s sure she would be excluded. ‘It’s a small town in Mississippi, and it’s run by an older generation with money. Most of them are more conservative, and they don’t agree with it,’ she said.

“Fulton Mayor Paul Walker said he supports the school district’s decision and knew of no private efforts to host the prom. ‘I think the community as a whole is probably in support of the school district,’ he said of the town of about 4,000.”

Read the full article here

posted by: Harold Johns III