Tam High students invite Mississippi lesbian to attend prom
Rob Rogers
Posted: 03/24/2010 06:12:03 PM PDT
Students at Tamalpais High School are hoping to do what neither the ACLU nor a federal court have been able to accomplish: give Mississippi teen Constance McMillen the chance to attend a prom with her girlfriend.
"At this point, I'm hoping that she'll agree to come," said Sarah Schwartz, a Tam High senior who launched the effort to invite McMillen to the Mill Valley school's prom. "But even if she doesn't, I feel there's been a wonderful effort by this community and a statement that we're willing to stand behind her bravery, and accept her for who she is."
McMillen, who has been openly gay since she was in the eighth grade, had hoped to attend her prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Miss., dressed in a tuxedo and with her 16-year-old girlfriend as a date.
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Schwartz, however, believes McMillen deserves to attend a school-sponsored prom. She has sent McMillen an invitation to attend Tam High's prom with her girlfriend on May 16. She has not received a reply.
"Being in my senior year, I know how important it is to have a prom," said Schwartz, 17. "To have that taken away because the people around you don't accept you didn't feel fair at all. I felt I needed to do something."
Schwartz launched a group in support of her idea on the social networking site Facebook. More than 150 people, mostly Tam High students, joined the group within an hour, Schwartz said. As of Wednesday, the group had 369 members.
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