I know a couple of Charlotte high school students, a young man and a young woman, who attended their prom together a couple or so years ago. She’s bisexual and he’s gay. She dressed in a tux and he wore a gown. And, here’s the kicker, nobody really cared; certainly, no one griped about it. Such is the general mindset of an increasingly high percentage of youth today: Gay? Who cares?
I bring this up as preface to our Stupid Thing of the Week, namely, the Itawamba County, Mississippi school board, which canceled a high school prom rather than allow senior Constance McMillen attend with her girlfriend. McMillen, by the way, like the female Charlotte student I mentioned, planned to wear a tux. So the wise folks on the Itawamba County board would rather waste money they’ve already spent on the prom, and disappoint the rest of the seniors — and garner yet more publicity for their woebegone state as the back-assward capital of Redneck America — than recognize that gay and lesbian students are human beings with rights, the same as anyone else. Frankly, this episode reminds me of the pinheads in my hometown who, back in the ‘60s, shut down a terrific public swimming pool rather than let blacks swim there. There are few things more vile or stupid than mixing irrational bias and spite with official power, as proven long ago by those Gaffney goobers, and now, reconfirmed by the proud winners of our Stupid Thing of the Week award, the jerks on the school board of Itawamba County, Mississippi.
By the way, the ACLU has now asked a U.S. District Court for an injunction that would order the school to hold the prom as scheduled, and allow McMillen and her date to attend. The suit claims that the schools’ policy banning same-sex dates violates students’ rights, and their refusal to allow McMillen to wear a tux violates her rights of free expression. We agree 100 percent.
Meanwhile, Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colo), has introduced a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against gay and lesbian school students. Polis says the law is modeled on state laws that have already been enacted in at least 10 states. More power to him.
This article appears in Mar 9-15, 2010.
As long as I live on this planet, and with every breath that I take, I simply will never understand the heterosexual’s burning, intense need to abuse their gay children at any and every given opportunity.
I guess when heterosexuals scream their heads off about ‘protecting the children,’ they are only worried about protecting the heterosexual children, huh?
Morality indeed, heterosexuals.
Morality indeed.
Do they let boys show up to school wearing a dress everyday at school? I see nothing wrong with extending the dress code for a schoo function. If the answer to my first sentence was yes then they should allow him to wear a dress at the prom. If the answer was no then they should be able to deny him the ability to wear a dress to the prom.
Sounds pretty simple. The main problem is how far should the state and the public be forced into playing along with someones personal defects.
So you say being “gay” is a “personal defect” Frank?
Now how silly is this?
Whats next? Banning disabled students because they have a “defect” too?
Dress code for schools? Yes for military schools!
Only in the military you can people force to wear certain dresses even if they don’t want to! Oh and in prison!
Other than that people should rather face up with people who are “different” than trying to get them out of the mind by banning them from everything.
This won’t make people less “different” but there’s a word for this: APARTHEID!
Gay is not synonymous with stupidity, if every baby born tomorrow on were gay they’d manage to procreate, probably with a lot less of irresponsible behaviors in which heterosexuals bring babies into the world.
Late term abortion is probably the hardest choice faced by parents, all the hate fueled, ignorant attacks keep good doctors from helping women get through an often life and death situation. I suggest people with these attitudes move somewhere more in line with their thinking, mmmmm, no, not France, perhaps Iran?
Griffin, your basic argument makes no sense, not that that’s a big surprise. “Do they let boys show up to school wearing a dress everyday at school?” Well, do they let girls show up wearing expensive gowns everyday at school? Do they let boys wear tuxes at school? No, probably not, but that doesn’t keep them from wearing them to proms. You need to start over. Try logic next time.
People, please do not let Frank Griffin incite you with his rhetoric and gibberish. He responds like this to EVERY article, has been warned by the staff of Creative Loafing, and has been reported to authorities becauase of some of his abusive statements on here.
His goal is to bash everything written here. He is a hateful, sad, and pathetic human being with absolutely no life. He is here daily and does nothing but just what you see here. He hates gays, democrats, the President, the Mayor, minorities in general, and anything that may be contrary to the BS of the likes of Glenn Beck and Fox news.
He thinks everything is a debate and he is the winner. Sadly, people are stating the facts, don’t care to debate, and certainly don’t feel a loss towards this sad excuse for a man.
If you take the bait, he will go on and on and on, and will always try to get the last word, even if it’s a pathetic, childish one.
“Stiffle” free speech, Frank? Friggin hilarious and not even aware of it, as always. Mark63, don’t you know that if Frank is banned from CL, we’d miss out on his unintentional humor? Please stiffle your rage against Frank. Stiffle. Goddam, what a moron.
People, please do not let Frank Griffin incite you with his rhetoric and gibberish. He responds like this to EVERY article, has been warned by the staff of Creative Loafing, and has been reported to authorities becauase of some of his abusive statements on here.
His goal is to bash everything written here. He is a hateful, sad, and pathetic human being with absolutely no life. He is here daily and does nothing but just what you see here. He hates gays, democrats, the President, the Mayor, minorities in general, and anything that may be contrary to the BS of the likes of Glenn Beck and Fox news.
He thinks everything is a debate and he is the winner. Sadly, people are stating the facts, don’t care to debate, and certainly don’t feel a loss towards this sad excuse for a man.
If you take the bait, he will go on and on and on, and will always try to get the last word, even if it’s a pathetic, childish one.