Mississippi lesbian teen wins $35K lawsuit over cancelled prom
By ANIWednesday, July 21, 2010
MELBOURNE - Constance McMillen would have never thought that she wouldn’t be allowed to attend her high school prom just because she is a lesbian.
But tables turned when she won a 35,000 US dollars payout against Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton, which admitted that it violated McMillen’s right to freedom of speech.
The trouble began when the school’s principal denied McMillen’s request to wear a tuxedo and to bring a female date to the prom.
The school board also followed the same course and even ruled the prom should be cancelled ‘due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events’.
Later, school officials invited her to a prom that only McMillen and a few other students attended while the rest of her class partied at a secret event several miles away, reports News.com.au.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit, following which Itawamba has agreed to pay McMillen 39,687 dollars in damages and to cover her attorney’s fees.
The school will also adopt a discrimination and harassment policy that covers sexual orientation. (ANI)
