If anyone was wondering if Itawamba County student Constance McMillen was in it for the right reasons, then there can be little doubt after today. Earlier this month the Itawamba school board called off a school-sponsored prom after the lesbian student petitioned to attend with her girlfriend and to wear a tuxedo.
Following the school board’s decision, McMillen, 18, filed a federal lawsuit against school officials alleging violations of her First Amendment rights. McMillen became an instant celebrity for her stand, making numerous television appearances, including the Ellen DeGeneres Show where she received a $30,000 scholarship offer from news Web site Tonic.com.
A seperate private prom organized for this Friday by parents has now been canceled as well.
"There are a lot of people involved and they don’t want to get sued," said Lori Byrd, who served on the parent organizing committee.
It seems McMillen waited until tickets were no longer on sale to try to purchase one.
Byrd said tickets had been available for two weeks at a local formal wear business, a fact advertised at the school with fliers and over the school PA system. McMillen showed up after the deadline Monday, she said.
"She had a chance. We didn't exclude anybody," she said. "She purposefully waited until after the deadline. I just hate it for the kids. Now they are not going to have anything."
Byrd said the private prom had adopted the same rules as the school-sponsored prom. McMillen could have attended, but she could not bring her girlfriend as her date and had to wear a dress.
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The Clarion Ledger
Does this girl have a Mother and a Father, and why haven't they whipped her butt? Or better yet, why hasn't somebody whipped theirs?
I'm all for letting people be who they really are, but the fact that she is milking her 15 minutes of fame to the detriment of her classmates should be pretty obvious at this point.
