The only thing 18-year-old Constance McMillen wanted was to go to her high school prom with the date of her choice. Unfortunately, the administration at Itawamba County Agricultural High School has a policy against same-sex couples attending the event.
 Itawamba County Agricultural High School decided to cancel prom after Constance McMillen indicated she and her girlfriend would attend together. |
After the school denied McMillen’s request to allow her to escort her girlfriend to the prom in a tuxedo, the American Civil Liberties Union demanded that the school overturn its discriminatory policy. The demands from the ACLU, and the threat of legal action, prompted the school district to cancel the prom altogether “due to the distractions to the educational process.”
The fact that the school district took such a dramatic step drives a dangerous wedge between McMillen and her schoolmates. The day after the announcement, one classmate said to her, “Thanks for ruining my senior year.”
Instead of defeating McMillen’s will, the district’s heavy-handed tactics have led to a nationwide campaign for her rights and the rights of the LGBT community as a whole. Advocacy groups and individuals have come out to support her and offer to fund or donate facilities for a private prom. A Facebook page created in her defense had 100,000 fans after one day.
The ACLU of Mississippi has filed a lawsuit on her behalf seeking a court order for the school to hold the prom, allow McMillen to escort her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. “My daddy told me that I needed to show them that I’m still proud of who I am,” McMillen told the Associated Press. “The fact that this will help people later on, that’s what’s helping me to go on.”
This is not the first time that a school has denied a same-sex couple the right to attend their prom, nor the first time a student has stood up against an oppressive school district. In 2002, a student sued his school district in Toronto, Canada, for the same reason. In that case, a judge forced the district to hold the prom and let the couple attend.
This case shines a light on the reactionary strictures placed upon LGBT students. Only 10 states in the United States have passed legislation banning schools from discriminating against students based on sexual orientation. McMillen’s bravery and defiance should be an inspiration to LGBT youth and all progressive people to fight back wherever such discriminatory laws exist and demand nothing less than full equality.
