Lesbian teen set to appear in court, fighting to take her partner to prom

JACKSON, Miss. — About a week ago, when Constance McMillan approached school officials at the Itawamba Agricultural High School about wanting to take her lesbian partner with her to the prom, she was met with scorn and discrimination. School officials advised her to get “guys” to take her and her girlfriend to a high school prom. According to documents filed Tuesday in a federal court, their ill-formed suggestions were followed by a stern warning against slow dancing one another “because that could push people’s buttons.”

In the court documents, McMillen said the school’s assistant principal, Rick Mitchell, told her she could not attend the prom with her girlfriend but they could go with “guys.” McMillen went on to further state comments made by the school’s superintendent, Teresa McNeece, who told the teen that the girls should attend the prom separately, had to wear dresses and couldn’t slow dance with each other because that could “push people’s buttons.”

The school district last week said it wouldn’t host the prom “due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.” District officials said they hoped private citizens would sponsor a dance. The decision came on the same day the ACLU asked the district to act on McMillen’s prom requests.

“I want my prom experience to be the same as all of the other students, a night to remember with the person I’m dating,” McMillen said.

The district, located in northern Mississippi near the Alabama state line, prohibits same-sex dates at the prom. The ACLU has said that violates the rights of gay and lesbian students.

The school district had not responded to the ACLU filing by Tuesday afternoon.

Christine Sun, a senior counsel with the ACLU’s national gay rights project, said the organization is determined to put the prom back on the school calendar.

Fulton Mayor Paul Walker said he has heard that parents are making plans for a private dance but he didn’t know the details. It’s unclear if gay couples would be welcome at that event. [READ MORE]