Update: Constance McMillen had a "Prom"

Perhaps the subtitle of this post should ask how a Federal judge feels about being misled, or how they would feel about making a mistaken ruling, or whether a missed deadline excuse is contempt of court?

Early internet reports about the parent-sponsored prom for Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi claimed that Constance McMillen, the lesbian student who wanted to attend with her girlfriend wasn't invited. But in issuing his ruling confirming that her rights had been violated, Judge Glen H. Davidson said that he wouldn't order the school to hold a prom because the parents had done so much work in organizing an alternative and Miss McMillen had been told that she would be welcome.

Unfortunately, Constance supposedly missed the deadline for purchasing a ticket to the substitute prom, so whomever was selling the tickets took her phone number and in what sounds like a fit of panic over getting sued, the parents cancelled their prom and hurriedly issued refunds from the parking lot of a local church.

Then, a second make-up prom was scheduled for the local country club and according to media reports and comments from local residents, Miss McMillen spent less than an hour at the event without a date. Her publicity-shy girlfriend had never intended to go to the original make-up prom and at one time, it was believed that Miss McMillen would be attending with another girl, but if 'net comments are to be believed, it doesn't sound like the back-up date showed.

As I said, the initial internet reports were that Constance wasn't invited to the first alternative prom, but for some reason, the judge was under the impression that she would be welcome, which is why he didn't order the school to hold one of their own. After the parent-sponsored prom was originally cancelled, post-McMillen trying to buy a ticket, multiple unnamed parents told the Tupelo Journal that their prom was to have the same rules as those used by the school anyway, which meant no same-sex couples would be allowed.

Thankfully, the hastily-arranged, second alternative prom didn't plan to follow the school's rules and Constance was allowed to attend, but by that time, one must assume that the whole thing had become a letdown for all involved and because the judge didn't force her rights to be protected, poor Constance's victory seems sort of hollow.

Though, next time, the schools should know better than to ban same-sex or mixed-race couples and hopefully Judge Davidson has learned that empty promises from an ad-hoc group does not trump a court order, especially when it's passed down to a legal, governmental body.

ETA: A Mississippi blog alleges the country club prom was a decoy.
Confirmed: Local media has reported the dual prom story

Update: Constance McMillen & Her Miss. Prom

Since we initially reported on Constance McMillen and her quest to receive equal treatment from her community, she's done a whirlwind of appearances including one on Ellen, where she was given a $30,000 college scholarship and on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled on her motion for a preliminary injunction.

Basically, Reagan-appointed Judge Glen H. Davidson said that the school violated her rights when they barred same-sex couples and told Ms. McMillen that her girlfriend couldn't wear a tuxedo, but he declined to order the school to reinstate the prom because so much work has been put into an alternative.

According to the Tupelo Journal, the organizers of the parent-sponsored event have told Miss McMillen that she and her date are invited, a factor the judge took into consideration for his ruling. As of yet, the young women were hoping to go, but were waiting to see if they would feel comfortable.

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Dragging Mississippi into the 21st Century

Constance McMillen, an eighteen year-old senior at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton (MS) anticipated an annual memo outlining the rules for the prom, which in previous years had banned same-sex dates, by asking permission to be accompanied by her girlfriend, who would be wearing a tux.

School officials told her that she and her girlfriend couldn't arrive together, neither could wear a tuxedo and they may be asked to leave, if other students complained or felt uncomfortable.

Ms. McMillen sought the assistance of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, which was formed to protect the rights of LGBT students, who put her in touch with American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU sent a letter demanding that the school change it's policy by Wednesday or face a lawsuit. As the deadline approached, the local school board decided to simply cancel the event "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events".

The ACLU is now seeking a court order to reinstate the prom and to allow Constance to attend with her date, dressed as they like.
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Notes: Itawamba is a rural county near Pontotoc, where school officials were sued about a decade ago to stop Bible classes and daily prayer.

According to Google:Maps, Fulton is a 116-mile drive from Charleston (MS), where the actor Morgan Freeman famously paid for the town's first inter-racial prom, an odyssey which was documented in the award-winning 2009 film, Prom Night in Mississippi.

Also, though the headline appears to be a bit misleading, one could argue that local reaction has been mixed and the media campaign waged by the ACLU has been drawing attention.

Update YouTube Thanks from Constance (via Feromoon, via Twitter)