Accidental gay activist and hero Constance McMillen's school officials canceled her prom when she politely requested to sport a tuxedo and take her girlfriend as her date to the Godforsaken high school rite of passage. Now, her classmates and their parents in her Mississippi town have left her off of the invite to a substitute prom that will be held at a furniture mart in nearby Tupelo, according to the Clarion Ledger.
As the prom being held at the "furniture mart" is a private event --albeit a tacky one -- excluding McMillen is not a constitutional issue, according Benjamin Griffith, the school board attorney.
After being turned down by school administrators, McMillen petitioned the Itawamba County School Board to allow her to attend the Itawamba Agricultural High School prom with her girlfriend on April 2. The American Civil Liberties Union got involved, requesting the school reverse the earlier rejection of her request. Instead of allowing her to come to the prom, the event was canceled for all students. The ACLU then filed a federal suit the next day, claiming that her freedom of expression rights were violated.
Since then McMillen has become a lightning rod for gay rights, with support from Wanda Sykes, Ellen Degeneres and hundreds of thousands supporting her with the Let Constance Take her Girlfriend to the Prom, Facebook fan page.
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