11/10/2009
Alabama High School Forbids Lesbian Couple from Attending Prom
The ACLU has intervened in the case of a lesbian high school student in Alabama whose principal has forbid her from attending prom with her girlfriend:
"Cynthia Stewart, a 17-year-old junior at Tharptown High School in
northern Alabama, is a member of her school’s prom planning committee,
had personally raised over $200 for the prom, and created the theme her
classmates had chosen for the dance. She is also an out lesbian. When Cynthia approached her principal to ask if she could bring her
girlfriend with her to the prom, he said no. He also made Cynthia
remove a sticker she was wearing that said, 'I am a lesbian,' telling
her, “'You don't have that much freedom of speech at school.' Cynthia’s
aunt and guardian, Kathy Baker, then appealed the principal’s decision
to the school board. But the board let the decision to bar Cynthia
from bringing her girlfriend to the prom stand."
The school has apparently threatened to cancel the prom for everyone should Stewart bring her girlfriend.
UPDATE: School reconsidering request!
Posted 12:54 PM EST by Andy Towle in Alabama, Discrimination, Education, News |
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These types of lawsuits have been going on for at least 25 years, probably longer. So tiresome---especially the part here about canceling the prom altogether. Nice threat to make the lesbian teenager look like a monster if she stands up for her rights.
Posted by: Paul R | Nov 10, 2009 1:10:13 PM
i seriously don't know how much more of this bullshit i can take without going "postal." they should just cancel the damn prom for EVERYONE FOREVER until they grow a brain and a conscience and treat everyone in this world with dignity and respect. that principal and the entire school board should be fired and the school should lose it's funding. it sounds like a public school, funded with public monies, and they should be hit where they'll feel it the most. FUCK THEM ALL.
Posted by: casey | Nov 10, 2009 1:11:38 PM
I'm not sure why she even asked permission to begin with. She should have just showed up with her girlfriend. What are they going to do, cancel the prom midway through?
Posted by: David in Houston | Nov 10, 2009 1:15:03 PM
Right - screw getting permission first!
Posted by: Bryant | Nov 10, 2009 1:20:21 PM
DISGUSTING!! Ugh. What gives them the right to Cancel the prom just because she wants to attend with her GF. Not to mention that she is on the fucking committee and raised money for it. Can a meteor hit earth already. Time to start all over mother nature.
Posted by: J. Bocca | Nov 10, 2009 1:25:04 PM
Why is it always Alabama that these type cases come up in... I swear Alabama isn't THAT backwards yet this people keep on and keep on making us look so good... Thanks Principal Odom, thanks!
Posted by: Robert Thomas Kenmore | Nov 10, 2009 1:31:07 PM
I'm an Alabama Native and I can remember from my own prom that when we went to buy tickets we had to specify the name of our date so that both names would be on the guest list. So this might have been the case, and she didn't seek out permission.
I'd also say that Alabama isn't backwards, instead for once we are unfortunately in the norm. LGBT discrimination is something that goes on even in the bluest areas of our country. Alabama is in some aspects ahead of the game with UAB offering healthcare benefits to same-sex couples, and Birmingham City Schools including sexual orientation in their new Ant-Bullying policy. Though by all means, there is still a lot of work and progress left to be done.
Posted by: L Talbot | Nov 10, 2009 1:43:05 PM
I wonder when they will understand that we aren't going away?
Posted by: thegaytekeeper | Nov 10, 2009 1:46:10 PM
How classy of them to make that threat - when unsure of being able to intimidate a 17 year old, best go after her friends to be sure.
Grade A+ douche-baggery.
Posted by: PM | Nov 10, 2009 1:56:12 PM
Hi - I'm one of the ACLU folks working with Cynthia. Her school requires any student who wants to bring a date who doesn't also attend the school to get permission, and her girlfriend goes to another school.
Posted by: Chris Hampton | Nov 10, 2009 1:57:04 PM
Show up anyway and KISS IT DOWN!
Posted by: Harris of Hollywood | Nov 10, 2009 2:10:39 PM
Hey Chris Hampton! i hope you send those people back into the Dark Ages where they belong. and PLEASE let this young woman know how much real support there is out here for her, her family, partner, and friends.
Posted by: casey | Nov 10, 2009 2:36:59 PM
This battle has been fought many times before and the schools inevitably lose. There is legal precedence in the Federal courts dating back to a 1980 case in Rhode Island, Fricke v Lynch.
Posted by: Craig | Nov 10, 2009 2:40:15 PM
Why hasn't anyone commented on the fact that the principal had the gall to say that "she didn't have that much free speech at school"?!
Posted by: Philip Wester | Nov 10, 2009 2:43:24 PM
Legal issues aside, what is wrong with these people? Do they really believe that God is going to pat them on the back for this kind of behavior?
Posted by: Pender | Nov 10, 2009 2:47:41 PM
They should organise their own prom. In Ireland students organise it and the school has no involvement/say.
Posted by: David | Nov 10, 2009 2:50:41 PM
This happened last year at another school in North Alabama, that Towle reported on.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=106096
As Craig mentioned there is plenty of precedence, its just a shame that we have to fight this same fight over and over.
Unfortunately we can expect this type of thing for many years to come...I mean look at the Justice of the Peace in LA that refused to marry an interracial couple, we just have to keep fighting so they know as gatekeeper mentions that "we aren't going anywhere."
Posted by: Clayton | Nov 10, 2009 2:52:57 PM
Apparently they haven't learned anything from Aaron Fricke or all of the other teens who had to go to court for their rights.
And it is despicable to threaten to cancel prom over this. Barbarians. Why does that principal still have a job?
Posted by: Tone | Nov 10, 2009 2:54:50 PM
The getting permission thing probably goes back to the segregation era, so that there wouldn't be any race-mixing. My HS (in Ohio) couldn't have supported a prom unless people brought dates from other high schools--the district had another high schooll and many in the area attended Catholic schools. I wouldn't be surprised that they expected her to bring a male date despite being "out". Frankly, prom is a waste of money and the source of many unwanted pregnancies. If she's lucky, this will get it abolished. NB: I didn't attend mine and had no regrest. Many attendees saw it as "not what's cracked-up to be".
Posted by: Rich | Nov 10, 2009 5:21:23 PM
Welcome to the South! We can be so backward sometimes. This is just ridiculous and wrong on a level that just infuriates me!
Posted by: RB | Nov 10, 2009 5:53:45 PM
If the school follows through on canceling prom, then GLAAD could foot the bill for it. It would be money well spent.
Posted by: jimmy | Nov 10, 2009 6:21:21 PM
@Philip Wester, it's because many lawsuits have ended in the conclusion that students under 18 have limited rights to free speech while at school. Sad but true.
Posted by: Paul R | Nov 10, 2009 7:01:53 PM
@Chris Hampton: Good luck, and tell Christine to give me a shout if she'd like to try a repeat performance after Memphis. (Sorry for being cryptic, but I don't have her email handy and she'll know what I mean.)
Posted by: Mark Noel | Nov 10, 2009 10:06:33 PM
I think this is absolutely ridiculous. Having recently graduated from a high school in a very conservative bible belt town, I can't recall us having these issues. Girls would bring other girls, but I think the problem was the school system was so unaware to anything out of the ordinary that they allowed it, not even considering the fact that they could be a couple. I'm not sure which is worse, being aware and unaccepting, or being unaware and naive to the existance of LGBT people.
Posted by: Cori | Nov 10, 2009 10:11:56 PM
It does seem funny that we consistently put the education of our children in the hands of people who never learn. That does explain a lot, though.
Posted by: Gary | Nov 10, 2009 10:31:07 PM