Off Topic Discussion
That which does not fit elsewhere. Please remember the community rules when posting and try to be polite and inclusive.
Mississippi never fails to let me down
Dj-M.Bezzle
4:50 PM 11 March 2010
news.yahoo.com
JACKSON, Miss. – A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
The Itawamba County school district's board decided Wednesday to drop the prom because of what it called recent distractions but without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The student, 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen, said the cancellation was retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance.
"A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this, so in a way it's really retaliation," McMillen told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson. Calls to McMillen by The Associated Press late Wednesday went unanswered.
School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's constitutional rights.
Instead, the school board met and issued a statement announcing it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton, "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events."
The statement didn't mention McMillen or the ACLU. When asked by The Associated Press if McMillen's demand led to the cancellation, school board attorney Michele Floyd said she could only reference the statement.
"It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors," district officials said in the statement. "However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well being of our students."
Kristy Bennett, legal director for the ACLU of Mississippi, said the district was trying to avoid the issue.
"But that doesn't take away their legal obligations to treat all the students fairly," Bennett said. "On Constance's behalf, this is unfair to her. All she's trying to do is assert her rights."
Itawamba County is a rural area of about 23,000 people in north Mississippi near the Alabama state line. It's near Pontotoc County, Miss., where more than a decade ago school officials were sued in federal court over their practice of student-led intercom prayer and Bible classes.
Anna Watson, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, was looking forward to the prom, especially since the town's only hotspot is the bowling alley, she said.
"I am a little bummed out about it. I guess it's a decision that had to be made. Either way someone was going to get disappointed — either Constance was or we were," Watson said. "I don't agree with homosexuality, but I can't change what another person thinks or does."
Other students are on McMillen's side.
McKenzie Chaney, 16, said she wasn't planning to attend the prom, but "it's kind of ridiculous that they can't let her wear the tuxedo and it all be over with."
A Feb. 5 memo to students laid out the criteria for bringing a date to the prom, and one requirement was that the person must be of the opposite sex.
The ACLU said McMillen approached school officials shortly before the memo went out because she knew same-sex dates had been banned in the past. The ACLU said district officials told McMillen she and her girlfriend wouldn't be allowed to arrive together, that she would not be allowed to wear a tuxedo, and that she and her girlfriend might be asked to leave if their presence made any other students "uncomfortable."
McMillen said she feared she would be thrown out of the prom because "we do live in the Bible Belt
JACKSON, Miss. – A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
The Itawamba County school district's board decided Wednesday to drop the prom because of what it called recent distractions but without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The student, 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen, said the cancellation was retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance.
"A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this, so in a way it's really retaliation," McMillen told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson. Calls to McMillen by The Associated Press late Wednesday went unanswered.
School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's constitutional rights.
Instead, the school board met and issued a statement announcing it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton, "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events."
The statement didn't mention McMillen or the ACLU. When asked by The Associated Press if McMillen's demand led to the cancellation, school board attorney Michele Floyd said she could only reference the statement.
"It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors," district officials said in the statement. "However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well being of our students."
Kristy Bennett, legal director for the ACLU of Mississippi, said the district was trying to avoid the issue.
"But that doesn't take away their legal obligations to treat all the students fairly," Bennett said. "On Constance's behalf, this is unfair to her. All she's trying to do is assert her rights."
Itawamba County is a rural area of about 23,000 people in north Mississippi near the Alabama state line. It's near Pontotoc County, Miss., where more than a decade ago school officials were sued in federal court over their practice of student-led intercom prayer and Bible classes.
Anna Watson, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, was looking forward to the prom, especially since the town's only hotspot is the bowling alley, she said.
"I am a little bummed out about it. I guess it's a decision that had to be made. Either way someone was going to get disappointed — either Constance was or we were," Watson said. "I don't agree with homosexuality, but I can't change what another person thinks or does."
Other students are on McMillen's side.
McKenzie Chaney, 16, said she wasn't planning to attend the prom, but "it's kind of ridiculous that they can't let her wear the tuxedo and it all be over with."
A Feb. 5 memo to students laid out the criteria for bringing a date to the prom, and one requirement was that the person must be of the opposite sex.
The ACLU said McMillen approached school officials shortly before the memo went out because she knew same-sex dates had been banned in the past. The ACLU said district officials told McMillen she and her girlfriend wouldn't be allowed to arrive together, that she would not be allowed to wear a tuxedo, and that she and her girlfriend might be asked to leave if their presence made any other students "uncomfortable."
McMillen said she feared she would be thrown out of the prom because "we do live in the Bible Belt
Dj-M.Bezzle
4:52 PM 11 March 2010
whats even better are the comments, the ignorance that surrounds me on an every day basic really astounds me
O.B.1
5:47 PM 11 March 2010
that's still kinda hot...
(I wonder which one wears the strap-on... er, I mean tuxedo)
(I wonder which one wears the strap-on... er, I mean tuxedo)
FunkyRob
6:39 PM 11 March 2010
She probably looks like a dude anyway. I don't think anybody would have noticed if she would have shown up in a tux.
Dj-M.Bezzle
6:59 PM 11 March 2010
lol i noticed they only showed 1 of the girls pics.... prob the pretty one of the 2
drmemory
9:32 AM 13 March 2010
They should have an alternate prom off site... I'll dj that shit for free.
DJ TK
12:49 PM 13 March 2010
Lets be real its all because of religion. Everyone wants to make religion out to be this happy thing that helps people but it only helps you if you follow the crowd other wise it's really a powerful hate group.
Logisticalstyles
2:20 PM 14 March 2010
Quote:
They should have an alternate prom off site... I'll dj that shit for free.I read that a Hotel owner in New Orleans has offered to to let them use his place for free.
bourbonstmc
3:28 PM 14 March 2010
Quote:
Quote:
They should have an alternate prom off site... I'll dj that shit for free.I read that a Hotel owner in New Orleans has offered to to let them use his place for free.
True:
www.nola.com
DJBIGWIZ
9:02 PM 14 March 2010
Quote:
Everyone wants to make religion out to be this happy thing that helps people but it only helps you if you follow the crowd other wise it's really a powerful hate group.Not really man, that's just ignorant people misinterpreting it. The Bible itself says "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" doesn't really sound like hate to me. I'm not a big gay rights person myself but I AM a PEOPLE rights person and feel they have the same rights as everyone else. If you believe in God then it's his job to deal with that... it's not up to us to judge and persecute folks.
I think religion IS a good thing but I feel like there has been A LOT of so called "false prophets" turning it around to suit their own needs and for those on the outside, if this is all they see of religion then yea, it looks real foul.
Dj-M.Bezzle
9:08 PM 14 March 2010
lil things like the crusades, the salem witch trials, massive bigotry and the reduction of peoples rights and massive promotion and acception of ignorance tends to cast a big shadow over the movment
DJBIGWIZ
9:57 PM 14 March 2010
indeed... none of which would be covered under "Love Thy Neighbor" so... like I said.
FunkyRob
1:04 AM 17 March 2010
Very cool of the "hotelier" to offer up his hotel. I never heard that word before.
I'm all for equal rights too, but how ironic is it that his last name is "Cummings"?
I'm all for equal rights too, but how ironic is it that his last name is "Cummings"?
Dj-M.Bezzle
1:05 AM 17 March 2010
lol classic, it was hela nice of dude but at the same time its a genious marketing move
sixxx
5:07 AM 17 March 2010
Quote:
that's still kinda hot...(I wonder which one wears the strap-on... er, I mean tuxedo)
lol
DJ TK
11:56 AM 20 March 2010
Quote:
indeed... none of which would be covered under "Love Thy Neighbor" so... like I said.What if your neighbor is gay? Then yeah I love you because the bible says I should but at the same time I don't think you deserve the same rights as me so really what your saying is I love you because I'm told to but I also think you're a second class citizen.
DJBIGWIZ
1:30 AM 21 March 2010
Who said anything about them being 2nd class?
If you are trying to say I said that you're wrong... what I said was
If you are trying to say I said that you're wrong... what I said was
Quote:
I'm not a big gay rights person myself but I AM a PEOPLE rights person and feel they have the same rights as everyone else.
DJ TK
3:29 PM 21 March 2010
Quote:
Who said anything about them being 2nd class?If you are trying to say I said that you're wrong... what I said was
Quote:
I'm not a big gay rights person myself but I AM a PEOPLE rights person and feel they have the same rights as everyone else.No Im not saying you said that but it's pretty clear religion doesn't treat them as equals. Also gay people don't have the same rights as everyone else.
DJ Schematic
5:01 PM 30 March 2010
Leviticus 20:13
'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
The Bible don't fuck around! LOL
'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
The Bible don't fuck around! LOL
O.B.1
5:25 PM 30 March 2010
but if girls do it, it's ok cause it's HOT!
(experimental college girls, not butch ass bull dykes)
(experimental college girls, not butch ass bull dykes)
DJBIGWIZ
6:44 PM 30 March 2010
Quote:
but if girls do it, it's ok cause it's HOT!(experimental college girls, not butch ass bull dykes)
hahaha
FunkyRob
4:56 PM 31 March 2010
Damn, the bible really says to kill gay people? That seems a bit overboard.
I think that quote actually says not to cuddle with a dude.
I think that quote actually says not to cuddle with a dude.
DJ Schematic
5:33 PM 31 March 2010
Quote:
Damn, the bible really says to kill gay people? That seems a bit overboard.I think that quote actually says not to cuddle with a dude.
There's worse verses, but remember, you're supposed to pick-and-choose which parts of the bible to obey.
For example:
1 Timothy 2:12
"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. She must be quiet."
Genesis 22:2
"Then God said: 'Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you'.
English
·
日本語
