Allow Gay Students to Go to Prom

by Michael Jones · 2010-03-09 17:58:00 +0100
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PromProm nights are generally one of the most memorable nights of high school. There's the punch. The dancing. The corsages. The dresses. The tuxedos.

But not the same-sex couples. At least if you're a student at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi, that is. That's because the high school is placing a universal ban on same-sex dates at their prom, telling students that same-sex couples might make people feel "uncomfortable."

But what's "uncomfortable" is watching a high school tell students that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender students aren't welcome at the prom with their dates. It's also illegal, if you ask the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). As Alex DiBranco over at Change.org's Women's Rights blog writes, the ACLU is threatening to file a lawsuit against the high school if they don't wise up and allow gay students to attend.

Want to help?  Send an email right now to the Itawamba Agricultural High School, as well as the Superintendent for the school district, urging them to get rid of the ban on same-sex dates. Prom is about celebrating the end of a high school year, and that celebration should be open to all students, regardless of their sexual orientation.

The student at the heart of this controversy is Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old lesbian student who would like to bring her date (also a student) to the prom. McMillen told the Clarion Ledger that her school is trying to take away one of the most important nights of her high school life.

“The way I look at it is that if I can’t go and be who I am, then I don’t want to go. It kind of feels like they’re asking me to be straight for the prom,” McMillen said.

Amen. Gay students shouldn't have to pretend they're straight for a night just to be able to attend school functions. And again, as the ACLU says, that's not only offensive, it's illegal, too. The ACLU notes that there are scores of court cases that have set a clear and binding precedent in situations like these, requiring schools to not only allow same-sex prom dates, but to provide for their safety, too. Beyond that, the ACLU notes that the Itawamba Agricultural High School is trying to run roughshod over the equal protection clause of the constitution.

“Schools that discriminate against lesbian, gay, and bisexual students who want to bring same-sex dates to school dances need to know that by doing so they’re violating established federal law, and we will call them on it," said the ACLU's Christine P. Sun, Senior Counsel with the ACLU national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project.

We can call them on it, too. Take a moment and write the Itawamba Agricultural High School, as well as the school district's Superintendent, and urge them to allow all students -- regardless of their sexual orientation -- to attend the prom with their dates.

Photo credit: Tracy Hunter

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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