Lesbian gets 35K settlement over canceled prom

[Stuart G]

Source: Yahoo News, AP

JACKSON, Miss. – A rural school district that canceled its prom rather than allow a lesbian student to attend with her girlfriend has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit the ACLU filed on her behalf.

The district also agreed to follow a non-discrimination policy as part of the settlement, though it argues such a policy was already in place.

Constance McMillen, 18, said the victory came at the price of her being shunned in her small hometown of Fulton.

"I knew it was a good cause, but sometimes it really got to me. I knew it would change things for others in the future and I kept going and I kept pushing," McMillen said in an interview Tuesday.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100720/ap_on_re_us/us_lesbian_prom_date

[katandmoon]

1. K&R for Constance McMillen

[Oceansaway]

2. K&R...n/t

[Lisa0825]

3. I expect to hear more from her in the future.

That is one strong and self-assured young lady :-)

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lisa0825]

40. Thank you, mods. nt

[Angry Dragon]

4. The school district should not have to pay

it should be the individuals that made the decision.
Why should others have to pay for the bigotry of others??
Until each one is held accountable for their actions this type of thing will not stop.

[FreeState]

6. It was shown in court the School District worked with the parents on the other prom

the School District is liable - they helped the parents create the other prom.

The District should have to pay a hell of a lot more IMO.

[LizFacts]

50. I agree- should have had to pay a HELL OF A LOT MORE.

Assholes.

[elleng]

7. because they made the decision FOR the district, and it accepted it.

District is responsible for its acts. It should have the spine to say STOP THIS NOW, but didn't.

Poor/brave kid. (not literally poor now.)

[msanthrope]

9. The school district employed the individuals, thus giving them the power

to make certain decisions.

In giving that power, they assume liability.

[Tempest]

12. The law is extremely clear, they should pay

The individuals who made the decision were acting as agents of the school board.

The law is crystal clear on actions of agents acting on behalf of an organization or company.

[Fearless]

13. Because the same law keeps those that are innocent from being sued as well.

[David__77]

16. Because they didn't sign up for personal liability.

If there was personal liability for every action on the job, then it should be clear when taking the job.

THAT said, I think that the district should have to pay. The voters can elect a new board that will hire new management; otherwise, it bears the brunt of the voters' stupidity.

[GOTV]

20. It's really an insurance company that's paying

[ProudDad]

60. Actually, it's taxpayers who are paying...

Unless the insurance company is one of the very rare (nonexistent) corporations that is not making a huge profit...

[ProudDad]

59. Because, just like corporations

School Districts are people too...

[TheWatcher]

5. Fantastic News. Good for her.

She is an amazing girl, and hopefully her stand will pave the way for a better future.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

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[Posteritatis]

35. Who pissed in your cornflakes? (nt)

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PSzymeczek]

41. She was on Wanda Sykes' show Saturday night.

Saw part of the interview, but could not listen because the bar had the sound turned down. Would have loved to have heard it.

[Warpy]

Good for her, that will go a long way toward the next step

in her education, if she's headed that way. It can also fund a very small startup business if she's not.

[JoDog]

8. She may not have gone to the prom

the "cool" kids went to, but now she can afford to go to college. Congrats on fighting the good fight, Constance!

[HockeyMom]

10. Ellen gave her a nice college scholarship also

Good for her on all accounts.

[qb]

11. K&R Go Constance!

[aquart]

14. I'm GLAD they had to pay.

[Permanut]

15. Seconding Angry Dragon

I see the point that the school district should pay, but the names of the perpetrators should be included. The individuals apparently violated existing policy, which is patently not what they were hired for. They should be penalized for not doing their job correctly, as well as for violating McMillen's civil rights. This fine is a step in the right direction.

[Trekologer]

17. They should be fired

If the school board does have a non-discrimination policy as they claim, then those individuals responsible for making the decision should be fired for cause. Bigotry tends to end when one's financial interest is at stake.

[Q3JR4]

56. I agree, but

I'd also say that $35,000 is a lot of money for a school board to have to pay.

If they allow the schools under their control to keep doing whatever it is they're doing the payouts will only get bigger until the financial interests of the taxpayers are brought into stark relief.

The discrimination will stop, I'm betting.

Q3JR4.

[ProudDad]

61. It's chump change

about 1/5th the annual salary of ONE school administrator...

[laughingliberal]

18. K& R. She struck a blow for justice and equality! nt

[naaman fletcher]

19. headline kind of annoys me

I wish it would have said "Victim of gender discrimination gets..." as opposed to "Lesbian". Current headline seems to sort of objectify her by her sexual orientation.

[Recursion]

26. Headlines: info always lost in push to save space

Details under the fold.

And while I'm sympathetic to the meaning of "gender" including sexual orientation, I think a lot of the country would read "gender discrimination" to mean she was kept out of the prom because she was a woman, which isn't really what happened. As blunt as the headline is it gets the salient facts: a woman who primarily falls in love with other women (aka, a lesbian) who was for that fact denied the chance to go to her prom, is getting a lot of money from a settlement.

[liberation]

30. The problem with the headline is that apparently, the only defining characteristic of the victim...

... is her sexual orientation.

[Recursion]

39. If I'm not mistaken, her sexual orientation was why she was kicked out of her prom

Did I miss something?

I mean, MLK was a Baptist clergyman, but headlines didn't say "Baptist clergyman jailed".

[T Wolf]

53. It did not say "lesbian teenage" but rather, ONLY used the word lesbian as a noun -

reducing her life to that one characteristic.

Makes it easier to dismiss her and the story.

[naaman fletcher]

43. That was my thought...

although I see both sides, and I am sure it is tough as an editor to decide what to do. I just know that I used to be in the newspaper quite a bit for politics and such and I was always defined by my actions, or at least a common political label. If I was gay, which I am not, I think I would hate to open up the paper and instead of "Naaman Fletcher.." Or "local activist..." it instead said "homosexual..."

[Smashcut]

45. Exactly

Thank you for picking up on that. :thumbsup:

[T Wolf]

52. EXACTLY. The same applies to "illegals" and the always-popular Democrat (as adjective)

pejorative.

Language does have import as well as meaning.

[ProudDad]

62. Very Good Point!

I'd prefer "Target of School District Employee's discrimination..."

[pasto76]

21. Fuck them hillbillies

First of college on the house. Good on ya kid.

SGT PASTO

[struggle4progress]

22. Good!

[DesertFlower]

23. great news. nt

[DesertDiamond]

24. Happy day!!! :-) :-) :-)

[Zephie]

25. She deserves way more than that...

35k is a pittance in discrimination suits.

[OutNow]

27. That's why we need the ACLU

A big V for victory for both Constance McMillen and for the ACLU. The ACLU is not some amorphous abstract entity that somehow does good deeds. It's made up of real people like you and me. It's dues and contributions from fair-minded people that allow the ACLU to reach out to folks in places like Fulton Mississippi and help defend their rights.

What a victory!

A proud 34 year member of the ACLU

[dionysus]

28. sweet. that's a huge chunk of a college education. she should have gotten more.

[LynneSin]

29. Think how much cheaper it would have been just to let her attend with the date of her choice

What a good use of tax dollars

:sarcasm:

[alp227]

33. Good. Some closure for her. n/t

[1IndependentThinker]

34. I'd rather have the Prom

but money made it ok>>>>>

[druidity33]

46. you know

most people will tell you that Prom really wasn't all that. That it was the people that made Prom special, if it was at all. Prom is more like the realization of the end of an "era" so to speak. Enjoying what comes next, that's where to focus your energies. The swirling world of adulthood and responsibility can be a mighty burden or delightful romp, depending on your attitude and determination. Good luck out there...

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[EFerrari]

37. Good news!

:kick:

[donheld]

38. They should have had to pay 50 times that.

[proteus_lives]

42. Good for her.

She's got a stash for college now.

:thumbsup:

[ZombieHorde]

44. Bwahahahaha!

I generally don't cheer when schools lose money, but lessons needed to be learned. Pun intended.

[Mad_Dem_X]

47. Don't forget the "fake" prom

After cancelling the first prom, they had two others - one for the "regular" kids, and another for Constance and other kids who were deemed "unworthy."

Way to go, Constance! Keep fighting the good fight. :patriot:

[Odin2005]

48. YAY!

[AllyCat]

49. I know she wanted to go to her prom, but if she had, I wouldn't have learned about this brave woman!

[LizFacts]

51. I think it would be wonderful if she donated the money

to an LGBT group or GLAAD.

I don't think the issue was about HER getting money so much as making those fuckers pay for their intolerance and bigotry.

[Jkid]

54. She needs to move out of that town ASAP.

She's probally no longer welcome in Fulton. She should move to a city where she's more confortable in.

[colsohlibgal]

55. Super To Hear

Why some people obsess so much about what floats everyone's boat I'll never know. One day, if we don't kill off the planet first, people of the future will wonder why the fuss as in the end it's much ado about nothing.

[Q3JR4]

57. She could have sued them and collected more

in damages. By accepting the school board's offer, she put this whole business behind her and she made the school board aware of the possible future consequences of their failure to comply with their own policies.

In the process she got a bit of money from the board, while still making it possible for the school system to take care of the people that come after her.

Any way you want to look at it, that's class.

Q3JR4.

[ProudDad]

58. K&R - one for the good people... (n/t)