Constance McMillen, an eighteen-year-old teen, is currently fighting a legal battle against her Jackson, Mississippi, school district ... just to go to her prom. Her high school issued a list of rules for the event, specifying that dates must be of opposite sexes.
When McMillen notified the school that she planned to attend the prom with her girlfriend, the entire dance was canceled because, according to the school, ofl "distractions to the educational processcaused by recent events." A gay couple at a prom would interrupt learning!
On Friday, McMillen was a guest on "The Ellen Degeneres Show," saying, "I'm not going to go to a prom and pretend like I'm not gay. I just want to be myself and go to the prom that I was supposed to have since I've known what prom was." The senior prom is a significant event in a teenager's life.
Degeneres surprised McMillen, who has a 3.8 GPA, with a $30,000 scholarship check and internship opportunity in New York from Tonic.com.
"When I was your age I never would've had the strength to do what you're doing," Ellen said. "By being yourself and doing what's right you're going to make a lot of change, and that's really important."
Hooray, Constance! Hooray, Ellen! Liberty and justice for all.
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Comments: 72
That was great of Ellen to do!
I hope she does well in college.
Preferential hiring of gays? In twenty six states gays can be fired simply for being gay.
She is being rewarded for having the courage of her convictions and standing up for herself in the face of blatant discrimination and harassment.
The same kind of blatant discrimination exhibited in your comment.
The point is it takes two to make an agrument. In this case her and the school and the press took advantage of her predicument for thier own gain.
I have not said if I agree with the school or her. It's none of my business.
Her high school issued a list of rules for the event, specifying that dates must be of opposite sexes.
It was commonly done, when we were growing up. We went as a group of both girls and guys-- about 40 of us, to senior prom. We had a blast! At school dances we always had a better time with your friends than with a date.
We all knew we were going off to college, so why bother dating the guy (or gal) next door anyway?
Wilka
Isaiah, I take it back my goldfish was a lot smarter than you. You have to be the most stupid idiot moron I've ever had the misfortune to meet.
Hey Col, you stupid bitch, you imply that the girl got the scholarship because she was gay, not because she was a good student. Face it, you're a bigot.
Dan You are right. no one could be any dumber. She? Isaiah is a male name.
That school never screwed her over, she never attended that school.
She handled the whoile issue wrong, and now she is made out the hero, and you boobs cannot deal with reality, so she'll grow to be just like you all... Another wart on society.
The reality is that she lacks the rights of others. The reality is that she is not equally treated by her school.
Franklin, if you ever know what you talked about, you would be silent.
Elizabeth, these morons don't want that. That would mean she would have to actually continue to work for it, and not have it handed to her on a silver platter. If she had to grow up and actually work for what she got, these people would be so against her.
According to the news stories, she started this mess, because she walked in and told the school that she was going to do what she wanted, or she would sue them. The school closed the prom. Now you people are supporting her actions, a kid telling the school what she is going to do and they will like it? When I went to school I'd have either gotten busted by the Principle, or expelled from school. She gets made a hero for being a punk.
Now had she taken a different route and not went in with the American Criminal Liberties Union and threatten them, I would have supported her, but with the actions reported, no way, she isd learning to threatten people like a thug.
If any of this story is true, which it is now looking like it might not be.
She goes to school in the Itawamba County school district, which is in the northern part of the state. Jackson, MS is located in Hinds County, which is in the central part of the state--about a 200-mile distance away.
Jackson, while still conservative in comparison to the rest of the nation, is probably the most liberal spot in MS. Itawamba County, being in a largely rural part of the state, is much more conservative than Jackson.
I am one of the most geographically challenged people on the planet--really--but this is an error that is being published all over the place.
From what I have heard--I have an attorney friend in the northern part of the state--the affiliates are getting the story right; it's the national media picking up the affiliates' stories and getting the details wrong...such as reporting the byline (the location of the reporter/station) as the location where the story is taking place.
The story is not phony--it's very real; there is a federal judge set to rule within the next few days on the matter--but some of the details have been blurred in the need to edit for space.
Another case of unsustainable, indefensible bigotry, only, this time, it's gender-social bigots.
When she spoke up--no matter the forum--the school "cancelled" the sr. prom.
Well, I guess that should create enough hate from other seniors, many of whom are probably raised by parental bigots, who have already paid for prom dresses which will never be worn. The school district has effectively created a scenario wherein the school is ripe for fight night.
"When McMillen notified the school that she planned to attend the prom with her girlfriend, the entire dance was canceled because, according to the school, ofl "distractions to the educational processcaused by recent events."
I hope "the couple" have good friends to watch their six.
Wilka
Go Ellen!
Constance McMillen is a high school student (currently aged 18) who lives in Fulton, Mississippi. McMillen attends the Itawamba County Agricultural High School where in March 2010 there has been a lot of controversy surrounding McMillen.
On February 5, 2010 the school sent out a memo notifying students that there would be a high school promo on April 2. Also within the memo were the rules. One of those rules was that all students needed to take a partner of the opposite sex to the dance, same sex couples were not permitted.
McMillen challenged this rule and asked permission for i) Her girlfriend to be able to accompany her to the prom and ii) To be allowed to wear a Tuxedo (this was also not allowed in the school prom rules).
In an update to this story, a private prom was held and Ms. McMillen was invited to attend with the date of her choice.
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12231095
I don't know about now but back in the dark ages the Junior class put on the Prom for the Senior Class and it was an extra caricular activity. The Juniors made the rules, took over the school gym, did the decorations, paid what need to be paid, hit up merchants for donations, had fund raisers, etc. The school principal had little or nothing to do with it. Of course no one told anyone how to dress either. The entire high school attended. There were 4 years of high school back then.
Just hopping by to say "hi" and "Happy Easter!"
God Bless you today and always
Sister Amy