Lesbian, the ACLU Ruin Prom for Mississippi Town...

Sounds like they handled it exactly right. Public schools cannot be discriminating on such grounds, but neither should they be forcing tolerance and acceptance in social functions. I imagine someone will get a private function together so they can invite or exclude whomever they want, and that young lezbone couple will learn exactly how many friends they have in that redneck hellhole. If you're an optimist, you might even envision two private functions, so that tuxedo girl and all her friends can have their night of playing dress-up, too.

If you're an optimist.

It did, indeed, seem the most emminently reasonable solution. Especially since organizing a prom is not really a part of education.

Yeah, the school ruined the prom, not the ACLU or the lesbian. These intolerant hillbillies are so afraid of a gay couple going to a dance that they canceled the entire thing.

I'm sure it was more to do with the students first, and the parents second. Nobody wanted to risk having to deal with a big dumb pissing contest the night of the event. Pandering too much to the bigoted assholes with no manners, I agree, but this is better than excluding Tuxedo Girl and letting everyone else have their fun.

On this issue, sir, you are dead on.

Good for the school. Disgusting behavior should not be tolerated and sets a horrible example for our young people.

Yup. Whether or not there should be any prom at all sponsored by the school is a reasonable question, but canceling the prom because of fear of teh ghey is quite unreasonable.

This is all on the school. Well, the school and Volpone.

Cowardliness on the part of the school, in reaction to bigoted assholishness on the part of some of the students and their parents. It's the right call if you're trying to avoid trouble at all costs.

Now, I personally would've just had the prom as usual and let all of the students bring their dates, even if one of those dates happened to be a girl in a tuxedo. I'd just bring in extra security and put anyone who made a fuss out on their asses.

Mississippi's authorities have made many faulty decisions since the civil rights era.

This appears to be one of them.

I suspect that is why the Pentagon has asked me not to intervene in the event a disaster strikes that particular state, though the Chairman's stated reason was a poor cost to benefit ratio.

Its clear that there would have been a major shitstorm if they let the gay couple come to the prom.

Many people in this country still want things to be traditional. The straight people of the world will always fight for what they think is proper.

Seems to me that the majority of the school is straight. Only two gay girls want to go to the prom. What is a prom to most people?? Well I know that its not usually GAY.

Do you really think that if the gay couple went that would be the end of it? Who know what would have happened that night. News coverage. Out of state gay supporters outside the event. Fughedaboudit!!

This sounds like the first major attempt for a gay couple to attend the prom. And one of them wants to be the 'guy'?? Gimme a fuckin' break!!

I'm curious to know if this couple had friends that were attending the prom. Would they be sitting at a table with these other couples??

If all the prom couple are against the gay couple, will they have to sit at a table by themselves?? Will other couples want to slow dance near the gay couple?? Will some jokers nominated them for Prom King and Queen??

Oy!!

I have to assume they at least had some friends. I didn't even go to proms when I was in high school, but then again there was no "Lesboprom" option for me back then.

You're still arguing the point. The school (and, actually, UA) has gone you one better by bypassing the argument altogether. Whether or not they're right or wrong, it's not the school's job to throw this party and force a point one way or the other.

If you want to argue equal access for gays to public school facilities, find one that won't allow access to classrooms.

Wouldn't be a problem if all schools were private institutions.

If they have friends they kinda fucked it up by getting the prom canceled. The prom is very important for many. Its a real big thing for the girls and their families.

For years they will talk about how and why their prom got canceled.

On hindsight, I'm kinda glad we didn't have problems like this back when I was in school. But, this is nothing. I remember back in the mid-90's when Randolph County High School in Wedowee made the national news. Similar situation, but the Principal held an assembly and forbade mixed race couples. The ACLU jumped in but didn't resolve it until after the fact.

What it boiled down to was the bigots went to the official school prom and everybody else went to a private prom held at the same time and date.

The Principal was eventually fired. Rumor has it, he ran for county commission a few years later and got something like four votes.

If you have a daughter, the prom is a major event for them. I have contributed to the purchase of three prom dresses. I have arranged limos and car service. I have given out money for prom night.

If any one of my girls DID NOT have a prom it would have been quite gloomy in the house for months.

Bah. It's just another pointless social ritual. Just skip to the after-parties, I say.

The after parties are for people who went to the prom. All others are scalawag party crashers.

Damn right I was. And already part way through a big bottle of Southern Comfort by the time people started leaving for the after parties, if I recall correctly.

I was in the liquor store last year and after I paid the clerk asked me, "will you donate to help support our local school's dry prom?"

To which I answered, "why in the fuck would I do that?!" Yeeesh. Proms seem to be more complicated than they should be these days.


As for the topic, I guess I can see where the school is coming from and not wanting to get involved one way or the other, but given that it's 2010 and gay couples are a reality of the world we live in, like it or not, it does seem like a pretty cowardly choice. Just let them have their prom, a muff diving chick wearing a tux isn't going to be the end of the world and won't ruin anyone's prom - those people just ruin it for and by themselves.

How bout guys in dresses?

Like the guy on the left?



The heavy police presence and the plastic red carpet just tie the whole photo together.

If you want to take one, that's your choice. I don't have a problem with it.
Guys dressed in robes thousands of years before you were born. You should get used to the idea eventually.

Is this a more concsious reaction by the shcool board authorities? There's a way it can be seen as quite sinister and deliberate.

Well, of course it is. Prom's have been an American high school tradition for a decades. They are part of a well-rounded education.

Try not using personal examples to counter the point.