Mississippi school prom off after lesbian's date request

Soon · 07-20-2010, 08:45 AM

SCORE: Constance McMillen's Old High School Pays Up $35k, Creates Non-Discrimination Policy

Itawamba County School District, which refused to let Constance McMillen attend her own high school prom, and then allegedly aided in creating a separate private prom that Constance wasn't invited to, is settling charges filed against it by Constance and the ACLU, according to a release.

Constance will receive $35k in damages and attorneys fees while Itawamba will institute a non-discrimination policy that includes sexuality orientation and gender identity — the first school, notes the ACLU, to do so in Mississippi.

Technically, this falls into the "win" column: Constance succeeded in having her school confess its sins and pay her for failing one of its students (though really, it failed all of its students). And while Constance did manage to graduate from another high school a tad more accepting, and did get to dance at a number of proms, and did get to serve as grand marshal in gay pride parades, and did become a beacon of hope for all queer teens, she was also a high school senior victimized by her own school, and that's never something to be happy about.

Read more: http://www.queerty.com/score-constan...#ixzz0uEZO0LyT

07-20-2010, 08:45 AM	#29
Soon Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: femme Relationship Status: attached Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: . Posts: 6,896 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 29,046 Thanked 13,093 Times in 3,386 Posts Rep Power: 21474859	SCORE: Constance McMillen's Old High School Pays Up $35k, Creates Non-Discrimination Policy Itawamba County School District, which refused to let Constance McMillen attend her own high school prom, and then allegedly aided in creating a separate private prom that Constance wasn't invited to, is settling charges filed against it by Constance and the ACLU, according to a release. Constance will receive $35k in damages and attorneys fees while Itawamba will institute a non-discrimination policy that includes sexuality orientation and gender identity — the first school, notes the ACLU, to do so in Mississippi. Technically, this falls into the "win" column: Constance succeeded in having her school confess its sins and pay her for failing one of its students (though really, it failed all of its students). And while Constance did manage to graduate from another high school a tad more accepting, and did get to dance at a number of proms, and did get to serve as grand marshal in gay pride parades, and did become a beacon of hope for all queer teens, she was also a high school senior victimized by her own school, and that's never something to be happy about. Read more: http://www.queerty.com/score-constan...#ixzz0uEZO0LyT