Lesbian Prom Story Rough

539 words, I whittled it down as much as I could.

Imagine your senior prom. It’s your reward for four years of effort in school, the meatball in your spaghetti, the cherry on top of the sundae of your final year in high school. Mouthwatering, isn’t it? Now, envision it being ripped away from your eager hands—just because your school does not approve of your date or attire. While this seems implausible, it has become a reality for students in Jackson, Mississippi due to a controversial lawsuit between a lesbian student and the school officials.
Constance McMillen’s senior prom was cancelled due to her requests to take her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The Itawamba County School District has stated they cancelled the dance due to “distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.”
Shocked by her school’s decision, Constance said, “The message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom, they are not going to have one.” She added, "A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this."
The Mississippi branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on Constance’s behalf, asking them to reverse the decision due to their violation of Constance’s right to freedom of expression. Kristy Bennett, Mississippi’s ACLU legal director, mentioned a federal case law since 1980 that supports gay students’ right to bring whomever they want to their prom.
U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson ruled in Constance’s favor but wouldn’t have the school reinstate the prom due to the private prom being hosted. However, the private prom also banned same-sex couples and wouldn’t allow Constance to wear a tuxedo, putting her in the same predicament as before.
Christine Sun, Constance’s lawyer from the ACLU, stated that the school officials’ testimony of welcoming everyone at the private prom was false. “It is not welcoming if she can't go with the date of her choice,” she said in reply to the same-sex couple ban. Since the announcement, the private prom has been cancelled due to fears of being sued.
"I never wanted my classmates to not have a prom — I only wanted the same chance to enjoy prom that everyone else gets," Constance wrote in an email. But her efforts have not been unrewarded. Television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, presented Constance with a $30,000 scholarship for her courageousness, and another prom has been set for May 8th which will allow all students to attend regardless of sexual orientation.
AHS students may be diverse in beliefs and opinions, but a majority of the student population appears to be united against the Itawamba School District’s decision. Junior Jackie Chen said, “I would be angry at the school for canceling it because it is unfair. Those students are not harming [anyone], and the school should not be biased.” Sophomore Tricia Lin, who had a similar response, said, “That's ridiculous. Prom is about the students, and if that makes her happy then she should be able to do what she wants in this case.”
Hopefully this case, which has garnered national interest, will make progress in national tolerance and acceptance of lifestyles which may differ from the majority of the population.

Imagine your senior prom. It’s your reward for four years of effort in school, the meatball in your spaghetti, the cherry on top of the sundae of your final year in high school. Mouthwatering, isn’t it? Now, envision it being ripped away from your eager hands—just because your school does not approve of your date or attire. While this seems implausible, it has become a reality for students in Jackson, Mississippi [MS] due to a controversial lawsuit between a lesbian student and the school officials.
Constance McMillen’s senior prom was cancelled [canceled] due to her requests to take her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The Itawamba County School District has stated they cancelled [canceled] the dance due to “distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.”
Shocked by her school’s decision, Constance [McMillen; refer to students not at AHS by their last name only after first mention] said, “The message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom, they are not going to have one.” She added, "A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this."
The Mississippi branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on Constance’s [replace with her last name] behalf, asking them to reverse the decision due to their violation of Constance’s [McMillen's] right to freedom of expression. Kristy Bennett, Mississippi’s ACLU legal director, mentioned a federal case law since 1980 that supports gay students’ right to bring whomever they want to their prom.
U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson ruled in Constance’s [McMillen's] favor but wouldn’t have the school reinstate the prom due to the private prom being hosted. However, the private prom also banned same-sex couples and wouldn’t allow Constance [McMillen] to wear a tuxedo, putting her in the same predicament as before.
Christine Sun, Constance’s lawyer from the ACLU, stated that the school officials’ testimony of welcoming everyone at the private prom was false. “It is not welcoming if she can't go with the date of her choice,” she said in reply to the same-sex couple ban. Since the announcement, the private prom has been cancelled [canceled] due to fears of being sued.
"I never wanted my classmates to not have a prom — I only wanted the same chance to enjoy prom that everyone else gets," Constance [McMillen] wrote in an email. But her efforts have not been unrewarded. Television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, presented Constance with a $30,000 scholarship for her courageousness, and another prom has been set for May 8th [8] which will allow all students to attend regardless of sexual orientation.
AHS students may be diverse in beliefs and opinions, but a majority of the student population appears to be united against the Itawamba School District’s decision. Junior Jackie Chen said, “I would be angry at the school for canceling it because it is unfair. Those students are not harming [anyone], and the school should not be biased.” Sophomore Tricia Lin, who had a similar response, said, “That's ridiculous. Prom is about the students, and if that makes her happy then she should be able to do what she wants in this case.”
Hopefully this case, which has garnered national interest, will make progress in national tolerance and acceptance of lifestyles which may differ from the majority of the population.

Imagine your senior prom. It’s your reward for four years of effort in school, the meatball in your spaghetti, the cherry on top of the sundae of your final year in high school. Mouthwatering, isn’t it? Now, envision it being ripped away from your eager hands—just because your school does not approve of your date or attire. While this seems implausible, it has become a reality for students in Jackson, MS due to a controversial lawsuit between a lesbian student and the school officials.
Constance McMillen’s senior prom was canceled due to her requests to take her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The Itawamba County School District has stated they canceled the dance due to “distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.”
Shocked by her school’s decision, McMillen said, “The message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom, they are not going to have one.” She added, "A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this."
The Mississippi branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on McMillen’s behalf, asking them to reverse the decision due to their violation of McMillen’s right to freedom of expression. Kristy Bennett, Mississippi’s ACLU legal director, mentioned a federal case law since 1980 that supports gay students’ right to bring whomever they want to their prom.
U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson ruled in McMillen’s favor but did not demand that the school reinstate the prom due to the private prom being hosted. However, the private prom also banned same-sex couples and wouldn’t allow her to wear a tuxedo, putting her in the same predicament as before.
Christine Sun, McMillen’s lawyer from the ACLU, stated that the school officials’ testimony of welcoming everyone at the private prom was false. “It is not welcoming if she can't go with the date of her choice,” she said in reply to the same-sex couple ban. Since the announcement, the private prom has been cancelled due to fears of being sued.
"I never wanted my classmates to not have a prom — I only wanted the same chance to enjoy prom that everyone else gets," McMillen wrote in an email. But her efforts have not been unrewarded. Television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, presented her with a $30,000 scholarship for her courageousness, and another prom has been set for May 8 which will allow all students to attend regardless of sexual orientation.
AHS students may be diverse in beliefs and opinions, but a majority of the student population appears to be united against the Itawamba School District’s decision. Junior Jackie Chen said, “I would be angry at the school for canceling it because it is unfair. Those students are not harming [anyone], and the school should not be biased.” Sophomore Tricia Lin, who had a similar response, said, “That's ridiculous. Prom is about the students, and if that makes her happy then she should be able to do what she wants in this case.”
Hopefully this case, which has garnered national interest, will make progress in national tolerance and acceptance of lifestyles which may differ from the majority of the population.

Edit 2

Imagine your senior prom. It’s your reward for four years of effort in school, the meatball in your spaghetti, the cherry on top of the sundae of your final year in high school. Mouthwatering, isn’t it? Now, envision it being ripped away from your eager hands—just because your school does not approve of your date or attire. While this seems implausible, it has become a reality for students in Jackson, MS due to a controversial lawsuit between a lesbian student and the school officials.
Constance McMillen’s senior prom was canceled due to her requests to take her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. The Itawamba County School District has stated they canceled the dance due to “distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.”
Shocked by her school’s decision, McMillen said, “The message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom, they are not going to have one.” She added, "A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this."
The Mississippi branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on McMillen’s behalf, asking them to reverse the decision due to their violation of McMillen’s right to freedom of expression. Kristy Bennett, Mississippi’s ACLU legal director, mentioned a federal case law since 1980 that supports gay students’ right to bring whomever they want to their prom.
U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson ruled in McMillen’s favor but did not demand that the school reinstate the prom due to the private prom being hosted. However, the private prom also banned same-sex couples and wouldn’t allow her to wear a tuxedo, putting her in the same predicament as before.
Christine Sun, McMillen’s lawyer from the ACLU, stated that the school officials’ testimony of welcoming everyone at the private prom was false. “It is not welcoming if she can't go with the date of her choice,” she said in reply to the same-sex couple ban. Since the announcement, the private prom has been cancelled [canceled] due to fears of being sued.
"I never wanted my classmates to not have a prom — I only wanted the same chance to enjoy prom that everyone else gets," McMillen wrote in an email. But her efforts have not been unrewarded. Television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, presented her with a $30,000 scholarship for her courageousness, and another prom has been set for May 8 which will allow all students to attend regardless of sexual orientation.
AHS students may be diverse in beliefs and opinions, but a majority of the student population appears to be united against the Itawamba School District’s decision. Junior Jackie Chen said, “I would be angry at the school for canceling it because it is unfair. Those students are not harming [anyone], and the school should not be biased.” Sophomore Tricia Lin, who had a similar response, said, “That's ridiculous. Prom is about the students, and if that makes her happy then she should be able to do what she wants in this case.”
Hopefully this case, which has garnered national interest, will make progress in national tolerance and acceptance of lifestyles which may differ from the majority of the population.