947
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Written by Lisa Neff, Staff writer
Jun 3, 2010
Constance McMillen
Constance McMillen has big plans for her summer vacation.
The Mississippi teenager who took the Itawamba County School District to federal court in a battle to attend her prom will lead the New York City LGBT Pride parade June 27. Parade organizers made the announcement that McMillen would be grand marshal in late May, as McMillen’s 2009-10 school year was coming to a close.
McMillen, 18, gained national attention as she, with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union, fought for her right to attend the prom with her girlfriend at Itawamba Agricultural High School
The school district had barred same-sex dates from the dance, as well as barred McMillen from wearing a tuxedo.
A federal judge ruled that the district violated McMillen’s First Amendment rights, but the ruling came too late for the official dance, which the district canceled.
Two non-official dances took place for Itawamba students. McMillen knew only of one dance, which she claims was organized as a diversion to keep her from the other party. McMillen and about 10 other students attended a dance at the Fulton County Country Club while most of the other students at Itawamba High attended the other dance.
Represented by the ACLU, she has since filed an official complaint alleging that the district staged a “sham prom.”
In mid-May, McMillen transferred to another high school, one in Jackson, Miss., with plans to graduate June 2, after WiG’s press date for this issue.
McMillen said she faced hostility on the Itawamba campus.
“There was a lot of stuff going on at Itawamba. It was just really hard to do my homework, so I transferred to Jackson to get my diploma,” she told the press. “There’s a large gay community there. All the teachers are very nice and very helpful.”
In the fall, McMillen has plans to go to college, assisted by a $30,000 scholarship award from Ellen DeGeneres.
