Today I received an email from the Human Rights Campaign letting me know about an outrageous act. Parents of students at Constance McMillen’s (see 3/16 blog below) high school organized a secret prom for straight students and then created a fake (decoy) prom for Constance and mentally disabled students, thereby excluding them by tricking them into missing the real prom. This shows just how far bigotry goes in this small Mississippi town. As would be expected (rightfully so), the school and other individuals are in deep – expect more lawsuits. A Federal judge has already ruled that the school violated Constance’s constitutional rights.
You can show your support for Constance by signing the HRC Petition. I’m sure the discrimination at this school will only further ensure the passage of a currently pending bill in Congress that will make it a Federal crime for public schools to discriminate based on sexual orientation. Here in Maine, we already passed a similar state law in 2005, prohibiting discrimination in not only education, but also employment, housing, credit, and public accomodation. Sexual orientation, under Maine law, includes gender identity and the law has already ensured the rights of a transgender elementary school student.