Update: the school has reconsidered, and will allow the lesbian couple to attend. (also I corrected my misspelling)
School officials have told 17 year old Cynthia Stewart that she could not attend her prom, prompting action by the ACLU. Now the principal says he will cancel the event for everyone if she is allowed to attend with her girlfriend.
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 is on the prom committee, created the theme for the event, and personally raised over $200 to use for the March 25, 2010 event.
Cynthia's aunt and guardian appealed to the school board but they let the decision stand.
The ACLU has demanded that Cynthia be allowed to attend the prom with her girlfriend and to stop interfering with her first amendment rights.
Cynthia attends Tharptown High School in Russellville, AL, part of the Franklin County School system.
Here is the demand letter sent by the ACLU of Alabama.
"It's just sad to see this school twisting itself in so many different directions to avoid its constitutional obligations to one student," said attorney Henry F. Sherrod III. "Cynthia doesn't just deserve to be able to take her girlfriend with her to the prom like any other student - she has a federally-protected right to do so."
"Federal law makes it absolutely clear that Franklin County School System doesn't have any right to discriminate against lesbian, gay, and bisexual students who want to bring same-sex dates to school dances," said Christine P. Sun, Senior Counsel with the ACLU national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, who represents Stewart along with Sherrod. "We hope that our telling the school about its legal obligations towards its students will make it think again about treating Cynthia Stewart like a second-class citizen."
The district has until November 20 to respond to the letter.
Bonus foolishness. Unrelated, but just as silly; a few months ago the state of Alabama banned a type of wine because of the picture on the label. These types of things always seem to happen here.
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Comments
This is more common that we are aware of. After reading the ACLU demand letter from the link above, I was prompted to also write the county superintendant. I wrote a respectful letter imploring him to rectify the situation to prevent possible reprocussion from students towards Cynthia if the prom is cancelled. I also chastised the High School Principal Odom's behavior. I urge everyone to write Mr. Williams, the Franklin County Superintendant at the address on the ACLU demand letter in the link above.
This is so sad. I hope the school changes its mind.
Yeah, if they try to cancel just show them what for and go to a different school's using the social networking site Prom Date Depot
.... good luck!!!
Thank God somebody in the Alabama Educational System still has some balls !!! Take a train back north ACLU !!! I'm sure some little town has a Bible verse in a public place that you haven't found yet.
Maybe you should consider checking where the Alabama educational system ranks in regard to education before worrying about the quantity or size of their "balls."
Ridiculous.
This is the best argument for seperation of church and state in the educational system in particular. This has happened before and the school system lost. Thats why they do not want the ACLU to proceed. They cannot afford the fight in court because Alabama schools are so poorly funded.
Ridiculous.
Best argument for seperation of church and state there is.
This has happened before and the state and school system lost in court.
They cannot afford a fight because the state educational system is so poorly funded so the school took the cowards way out.
I workled as a consultant for 4 years for one of the largest employers in the area. I was suprrised at the number of lesbians in the area (I mean it is podunk Alabama) and by and large they were accepted by the people they worked with and the community (the real community not the idiots on the school board).
Wow, its amazing how backwards things are getting in this country. We are all equal, better start acting right, in another 20 years, straight white people are going to be in the minority. Hope they treat us better than we have treated them.
Bottom line: It's Ala-freakin-bama, people. What did you expect...intelligence?
I agree the school administration needs to be more tolerant....but the student also need to focus on learning versus making statements about her sexuality - which should have nothing to do with being in school. If the boys had stickers "i like blondes with large udders" would that be acceptable? It is a sexual preference no different than asserting you are a woman that likes to sleep with other women. And both are out of place in an environment where the kids should be focused on learning....unless everyone is comfortable Alabama's education system has no room for improvement...
Cynthia, I hope that you have the best prom that a girl can have. I am right up the road from Russellville, and I know this area is very close-minded. You are awesome for sticking up for what you know is right. Good luck with your fight, and just be aware that you have supporters that are cheering you on.
Cancel it for everyone anyway.
She went screaming to the press forgetting an educational institution is NOT REQUIRED TO ENDORSE A PROM.
Wow, its amazing how backwards things are getting in this country. We are all equal, better start acting right, in another 20 years, straight white people are going to be in the minority. Hope they treat us better than we have treated them.
Dex, it is never okay to marginalize children for being who they are. I wonder how different this story would be if it was Christian students being excluded based on their beliefs instead of a lesbian student.
I don't understand why she asked in the first place - everyone brings a date, why didn't she just show up with hers? I see nothing wrong with her just going to the prom with her date - by "asking for permission" it's almost as if she was looking for conflict. If, at that time, she was barred from entering with her date, then sue based on discrimination. (I do not, however, endorse her "I am a lesbian" sticker - I don't wear a sticker that says "I am heterosexual" - that would be inappropriate, andI do not wxpect people to care one way or the other.)
"principal"
haj- I think she was trying to be respectful by asking permission. She obviously knew that she might cuase a scene just showing, so she wanted to give the school notice.
There's also the chance that her girlfriend goes to another school. In that case, it's usually required that they ask permission to bring a date from another school.
They should cancel prom and then the kids can plan their own somewhere else.
That last sentence didn't sound right. I meant that it would be cool if they stuck it to the school and had the best prom ever, off school property (which would, unfortunately, open the door to untold risks and safety issues.)
Poor kids.
And the students respond by having a prom elsewhere so the 2 can go. minus the teachers and principal since the parents will exclude them
I didn't go to prom. Neither did most of the people I know.. Everyone knows prom sucks. We ditched it for a party, a million times better than prom could've ever been.
You spelled Principal wrong. What an embarrassment!
Haj- In many schools you have to 'sign in' students that do not go to the same school, and get permission for them to come. This was probably the case.
I honestly am not that surprised this being Alabama, however, if Cynthia reads this, she should tell her Principal to look into the Marc Hall VS Durham Catholic School case. Similar case, he took it to court, and won the right to take his date to Catholic prom, the school was also sued for infringing on the rights of Marc. I doubt they really want to have that happen to them. And if he cancels the prom they should take all of their decorations, money raised, and DJ and go rent a hall somewhere.
Well, that's just pathetic. Hopefully, one day, hate-filled homophobes will no longer be put in charge of children.
Please spell "principal" correctly.
G*d damn it, Alabama. When will the people of this state realize that every single time you do something stupid like messing with peoples rights you make ALL of us look like jack a***es!
People try so hard to over come the stereo type about our state and then you dang dirty bible beaters go and fark it right the fark up. GET IT TOGETHER BAMA!
How sad that such blatant bigotry is still shown 20 years after I graduated high school. There was a reason I didn't go to my Prom either. If the moron principal wants to cancel the Prom and ruin the event for all the students because he is a hompophobic bigot, he should be fired immediately.
G*d damn it, Alabama. When will the people of this state realize that every single time you do something stupid like messing with peoples rights you make ALL of us look like jack a***es!
People try so hard to over come the stereo type about our state and then you dang dirty bible beaters go and fark it right the fark up. GET IT TOGETHER BAMA!
I agree with the principals decision.
This brings back really bad memories!
Back in 2003, I was the first guy at my high school, Arcadia High, to go with another guy. The school put every roadblock they possibly could in my way; I actually had to skip a whole day of classes; I'm sure my friend Katie remember what we had to do!
Sorry about the spelling error...I corrected it. And of course, now she gets to go.
I agree with the school and would have gotten my money back if i were a student and not have gone to the prom. This type of thing is just one of the many reasons my family is homeschooling. these kids have only just found out about sexuality and have no idea what it really is and this foolishness is just encouraging poor judgment and abhorrent behavior.
Thanks for shining a light on this issue.
Everyone, don't feed the troll that goes by the handle of "Dex".
Wil: Abhorrent? You mean different? Jackass.
Agreed Yossarian. The only one who has no idea about teenage sexuality and "what it really is" is you wil. I feel sorry for your 'family' and it's need to confine everything into a box.
I agree with the part of the story where a school principal has the right to stop their female students openly wearing stickers with "I'm a lesbian" printed on them. Discussing sexuality on a sticker is prohibited for the straight students as well.
Go ACLU, for putting uneducated bigots in their place.
This girl wasn't being respectful by asking permission. She was trying to start trouble - trying to "make a statement." She could have taken her girlfriend to the prom and the school officials probably wouldn't have been the wiser. Most of us have no problem with people being gay, but many of us are sick to death of gays demanding that everyone else celebrate their gayness. This is because, while we understand that their is nothing sinful or abnormal about desiring someone of the same sex, the gay "lifestyle" is most assuredly twisted and has absolutely nothing to do with sexuality.
The bigger issue here is the statement that this lesbian couple will make. You can bet they'll be necking like maniacs to 'show their point'. Guaranteed.
Completely agree with the "I'm a lesbian" sticker thing - it's really not appropriate, but of course, I also don't think that straight boys wearing "rack inspector" or such t-shirts is appropriate for the same reason. As for trying to make a statement or the girls making out at prom, if your objection is that they would be "outwardly displaying their lesbianism" you had better also take issue of a boy and girl making out at prom too, or else you fail. I get really annoyed with the "I don't care if you're gay, but you don't need to shove it in everyone's face" mantra if you are fine with heterosexual PDA. Double-standards are the bane of progress, and, frankly, a great indicator of a small mind.
While I can understand when people worry that Cynthia's, "I am a lesbian," sticker might be inappropriate, I somehow doubt that the principal would have forced her to remove the sticker if it had said something like, "I am heterosexual." Also, the principal even stated that the event would be canceled if Cynthia and her girlfriend were allowed to attend. Seriously, how much of a stupid religious bigot is this guy? He's actually willing to ruin the entire event for everyone because his panties get in a knot at the thought of two people of the same gender loving each other.
OY!!! What non-blind guy would go out with that? She could make a freight train take a dirt road! No wonder she likes the clam. If she can even get that.
I love it when high school kids try to make statements like this. This girl has no idea what she is nor what she'll do with her life nor how she'll end up, she's just trying to get attention. I'm gay, and I gotta say that people for her that are starved for attention always cause drama. I didn't have any problem going to my prom with another guy, and this intensely unlikeable lesbian a grade below mine didn't have any trouble either. If she had just gone instead of tried to raise a ruckus she'd have been fine. God people like her annoy me.
Kevin, it was a STICKER. How on Earth is that raising drama? I know people get offended over little things, you seem to be one of those people, but seriously don't assume she's out for attention or to cause trouble. There's not enough information to jump to such conclusions.
Besides, everyone knows the real phags are guys that ride harleys.
Besides, everyone knows the real phags are guys that ride harleys.
damn homos raising hell again. go back in your hole.
Her asking permission may not have been out of respect or to cause drama. When I went to prom I invited someone from a different school and he and I were required to fill out some "permission" forms before I was allowed to buy a ticket for him.
Perhaps this was also the case, that she needed forms to fill out for a date who didn't attend that school.
We don't really know, because it doesn't say, so how do you know she is just doing it for attention?
What a dog of a girl. I must say that I have been side swipped twice by "gaydom". Once at Disney World where I guess the gay world all decided to collectively show up for a gay fest on the same weekend. I spent most of the time explaining to my children why those two men were kissing...(Spare me the because they are in love crap...I don't kiss my wife in public, it's to show their gayness). The next time was on a cruise ship, they had blocked out about 75% of the ship and the cruise line could not legally tell anyone else. It was the most disgusting 7 days of my life. Honestly gay people of the USA, can't you just live life without having to maul each other at every waking moment. It is so pathetic and screams GAY to all of us that would rather not have to witness it. Oh yeah, neither Disney or the cruise line would refund my money due to the fact that they did not arrange the trips or gay days.
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