CONSTANCE MCMILLEN TO BE GRAND MARSHAL IN NYC PRIDE PARADE

This is amazy news!! Lesbian teen and unsuspecting activist Constance McMillen, the girl who was denied her prom and lied to by an entire town and school district, will have the honor of being one of the Grand Marshal this summer at the 41st Annual New York City Gay Pride Parade!! I think this choice is right on. I can't think of anyone more deserving than Constance. Since being thrust into the spotlight for wanting nothing more than to be treated like all her fellow students, Constance has become a well spoken, mature teenager who is defending her right to equality. Constance will join the other grand marshalls, Lt. Dan Choi and Judy Sheppard, at the parade which will be on June 27th her in NYC. McMillen said in a press release"I never dreamed so many people would support my fight to take my girlfriend to the prom, much less that I'd end up being asked to be a Grand Marshal at NYC Pride. I'm really honored and touched to be asked to be part of this celebration." You deserve it, Constance! [source]

GREEN DAY AMONG HOSTS FOR GAY PROM IN MISSISSIPPI

This is one of the coolest things ever. Green Day, Lance Bass, Cat Cora and Tonic.com are coming together with the American Humanist Association to host a gay prom in Downtown Tupelo, Mississippi in response to the travesty committed by the Itawamba School District's against Constance McMillen. The school refused to let Constance bring her girlfriend, cancelled the prom blaming her, then let set up a fake prom through parents and sent Constance and some learning disabled kids to the fake prom while hosting another one secretly for the rest of the kids. What a bunch of loser, douche bag sh*t for brains, backwoods asshats. ANYWAY.... Now there will be a prom open to everyone but focused on the LGBT youth in the area and it will be NO JOKE!! Superstar rock band Green Day, N'SYNC's Lance Bass are among the celebrities hosting the festivities.

Writes the AHA : "The Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition's second annual Second Chance Prom will be held on May 8, 2010 in Downtown Tupelo, Mississippi. "We've very pleased to be able to support and promote LGBT equality alongside other sponsors," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. "We're proud to be standing on the side of love and acceptance instead of fear and prejudice, and we hope that the event will bring appreciation of the diversity within our society and encourage others to embrace it as a positive value that can continue to forge progress for all Americans." The Second Chance Prom will feature dinner for guests, live entertainment, a ceremony to honor outstanding youth in Mississippi, booths highlighting organizations striving for LGBT equality and celebrity guests...Todd and Diana Stiefel made a $20,000 grant available to the AHA for the purpose of sponsoring this prom in Itawamba County. Humanists and other freethinkers have expressed a great interest in countering the discrimination of the Itawamba County school board."

BRAVO!! I think it's so awesome and so important for a rock band like Green Day to get behind this. They have long spoken out for the gay community, with lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong even identifying himself as bisexual in a 1995 interview. He is married now. What a wonderful, positive way to counter the incredible stupidity and prejudice committed by the community of the Idiot-wamba School District. I hope the kids attending have the time of their lives!!! [source]

CORRECTION: LADY GAGA TWEETS SUPPORT FOR COLE GOFORTH

CORRECTION ON EARLIER REPORTED STORY. GAGA WAS SPEAKING OF A DIFFERENT INCIDENT. NOT CONSTANCE MCMILLEN. READ ON:
Lady Gaga has shown support for the gay community since day one, and she is showing support for one special boy on her twittter account. Gaga took to twitter to express her opinion on Cole Goforth being treated like crap by his school for wearing a "Lagy Gay Gay" tee shirt. Gaga tweets, "Been in the studio for days and hours of record after record, and when I hear that a little monster was discriminated in school BY TEACHERS......It reminds me of my commitment + love for u, and the deep unconditional devotion I feel to write music that will liberate you from prejudice". Gaga later added, "Thank u for wearing your tee-shirt proud at school, you make me so proud, at the monsterball, you are an inspiration to us all. I love you.X". Wow! I bet Cole feels great after hearing that news. This poor kid is being sh*t on, for lack of a better word, by his school who feels the shirt makes the other students "uncomfortable". C'mon!! Apparently other students are allowed to wear religious shirts or even rebel flags to school without incident. BULLSHIZZ!!! I'm with Gaga.

LESBIAN TEEN LIED TO ABOUT FAKE PROM

I have written about Constance McMillan before, the lesbian teen who wanted only to bring her girlfriend to the prom, like everyone else was bringing their dates. First this Mississippi school board canceled prom because a senior girl wanted to take her girlfriend. Then they organized a 'fake' prom (five students attended), while the rest of the students went to a secret prom organized by parents. Constance was not the only one discriminated against. Some of the other students sent to the fake prom were learning disabled. These bigots are f*cking disgusting!! The case was in court and the school is being tried for discrimination, but since they assured the court there would be a private prom that Constance and her girlfriend could attend, the court didn't make them reinstate the school sponsored prom LIARS!!! How could adults do this to kids? What kind of school allows this to happen?

I just signed a petition to stand with Constance -- and condemn the school board's failure to treat its students with the respect and fairness everyone deserves.

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=785

FEDERAL JUDGE FINDS THAT LESBIAN TEEN WAS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST

Seems like a no brainer to me, but it took a federal judge's ruling to hammer it home to the morons running Constance McMillen's high school in Mississippi that they were in fact discriminating against the teenage lesbian for not allowing her to attend the prom with her girlfriend. The school instead cancelled the prom and the parents are holding a private dance which McMillen is not invited to. Judge Glen H. Davidson did NOT however say the the school would be obligated to go on with the prom as scheduled with everyone in attendance. "We consider this a victory," said ACLU Mississippi legal director Kristy Bennett. The case will be set for a trial date in the future. Although the main goal was to get Constance to the prom, I think it's more important to push the point that schools cannot do this to students. Each student has the right to attend a school function with their boy/girlfriend just like everyone else. Keep it going, Constance. I'm behind you 100%!!! They did what was right in Georgia for Derrick Martin today!!! [source]

A HIGH SCHOOL IN GEORGIA ALLOWS SAME SEX COUPLES TO GO TO PROM

Finally an example of a school administration that knows the difference between law and personal morals. Derrick Martin, and 18-year-old senior at Bleckley County HS in Cochran, Georgia will be allowed to bring his boyfriend to is senior prom. He tells The Telegraph that when he initially made the request to bring his guy to the dance he figured it would be too controversial, but much to his surprise, school officials in the small town granted his wish. Principal Michelle Masters told The Telegraph, "you don’t have the right to say no. I don’t judge him. I’m taught not to judge. I have to push my own beliefs to the background." Wow! It's refreshing to see a smart, reasonable person is in charge of the education of the youth of this community. Unlike the bigots who run the school attended by Constance McMillen, the lesbian teen from Itawamba County who has been denied the right to bring her girlfriend to prom, this school's administration keeps the students in mind when making decisions. The Telegraph reports, "even if there is backlash, both educators said they won’t cancel or change their plans for prom. 'It would not be fair to the students' said Charlotte Pipkin, the school's superintendent." Bravo, Bleckley County High School. [source]

LESBIAN TEEN DENIED ACCESS TO PROM GOES TO A SHADY SCHOOL APPARENTLY

Constance McMillen was denied her prom because she wanted to bring her girlfriend. The school decided that they have a ban against same-sex dating (what?) according to The Clarian Ledger:
"The filing by school board attorney Benjamin Griffith states that Itawamba Agricultural High School senior Constance McMillen 'wishes to make the defendant district the site for a national constitutional argument over gay and lesbian rights.' ... Griffith said the student's rights were not violated. 'This is not an issue where anyone has been denied an education or suffered a constitutional deprivation,' he wrote in the filing. 'Rather, this is a social event that, in light of rapidly escalating circumstances, was disruptive to the school environment because people are on all sides of the issue.' An affidavit filed Friday by attorney James Keith says school board members have been been under 'tremendous pressure' as a result of the controversy."
BULLSHIT!!! It is a school event and therefore should be open to ALL students. Constance didn't petition to have live sex show, she just wanted to go to prom with the person she is dating. Well now, all of the sudden, some of the parents of what I would imagine are the more inbred students are throwing a "private prom" and guess what.... CONTANCE ISN'T INVITED!! Sounds like the school found a way around things. The ACLU, who is helping Constance out with her claim, have this to say:
"The school board's response states that parents have organized a private prom at a furniture mart in nearby Tupleo (sic). Now that the school district has withdrawn from the event, any constitutional claims are irrelevant, Griffith wrote. [ACLU attorney Christine] Sun said she had only heard rumors of the private dance until she read it in the brief. 'Constance has not been invited, so it is clear to me that what is happening is that the school has encouraged a private prom that is not open to all the students,' she said. 'That's what Constance is fighting for — a prom where everyone can go.'"
If the school didn't want problems or the site for a "national constitutional arguement" then they shouldn't have violated one of their students rights. Don't give up, Constance. You have RIGHT on your side. [source]

CONSTANCE MCMILLEN, LESBIAN TEEN DENIED PROM, ON ELLEN

Constance McMillen, the teen lesbian from Mississippi who was denied access to the prom by her school and is fighting it, appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show to tell her story. What a brave girl. Ellen was so inspired by her that she showered her with some pretty impressive gifts. This girl is the future of advocacy in the LGBT community. (ps... check out her hottie dad!)