A friend of mine told me a story today about a school in Mississippi that cancelled its entire prom because I girl wanted to bring her girlfriend to the dance when the school documents said that one's prom date must be of the opposite sex. 18-year-old Constance McMillen tried to convince the school to change their views on the situation and allow her and her girlfriend to attend, but they refused, especially when McMillen requested to wear a tuxedo; the superintendent claimed that only male students were allowed to wear tuxedos to the dance. To top it all off, the superintendent also told McMillen that even if she and her girlfriend were to attend the dance, they could be ejected if others complained about their presence there. The school then proceeded to completely cancel the dance "due to the distractions to the educational process..." But there wouldn't have been a distraction if they allowed the girls to go to prom together.
The school is now facing a lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), that claims that officials at the high school are violating students' First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Constance McMillen just wanted to be able to enjoy her prom like any other student. "This isn't just about me and my rights anymore-- now I'm fighting for the right of all the students at my school to have our prom." She said in an ACLU news release. The school is now trying to paint McMillen as the villain who called everything off, and this isn't true; she is fighting harder than any of the other students to get the prom reinstated.
Do you think this is limiting her freedom of expression? And if so, should the school be allowed to limit these girls' freedom of expression or should they be punished for their actions?
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It's embarassing that the high school is not letting homosexual couples attend the dance; many highschoolers feel prom is an important rite of passage, and the high school students at those proms should be learn to be accepting of both their sexuality and those of their peers. By cancelling the prom, the school is sending a message that intolerance is okay. In my opinion, schools should strive to never send that message.
ReplyDeleteYeah I totally agree with you Molly. This story surprises me because I feel like New Trier is way more accepting than this Mississippi school. I also think it's terrible that Constance McMillen is being painted as the villain in this situation, and that the school is in a way, turning all of the other students against her, because most of them were probably really looking forward to going to prom. However, I think its definitely the school who is the villain in this situation - they are the ones who are ruining the opportunity for both Constance and the rest of the school to attend the dance because they are so closed-minded and intolerant.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it is absolutely horrendous that the school wouldn't let the couple go to Prom together. Especially when the superintendent said that only men were allowed to wear tuxedos to the dance, which seems so incredibly sexist, I can't even believe someone would say that. I also agree that if the school had just allowed the couple in, there wouldn't have been any uproar at all. I don't think any students would have made a big deal out of it, and its ridiculous that the school chose to make such a big deal out of it. I think the school was very insensitive to the couple, and rather than try to put the blame on Constance, should own up for its actions, and reinstate the prom for everyone, especially constance.
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