A judge has ruled that a lesbian couple in Scottsboro, Alabama can attend their high school prom. The Scottsboro City Board of Education tried to stop the pair from attending since they were "a homosexual couple."
The last-minute court order from Jackson County Circuit Judge John Graham of Stevenson prohibited the board from banning the girls from the junior-senior prom, stating "publicly-funded schools are prohibited from barring same-sex couples from school functions."
While I think it is great that these young ladies got the chance to go to prom in the end, I still can't help but wonder what lies ahead for them. We have too often seen the heavy cost that LGBT students can pay for being open in school. To have the entire school system call out these two young girls as second class students only opens them up to further harassment and danger.
What will the rest of high school hold for these girls that had to go to court just to attend their prom? Alabama has no anti-bullying laws and their school system is obviously hostile to them. This is not a good combination.
And this is sadly the case in schools all over the country.
I continue to wonder if our country ever learns from past experience. We have seen the heavy price that young LGBT people pay and yet many continue to impose their religious views on others to the detriment of our kids. Not the best way to "save the children" as many purport to do.
I'm glad these young women were strong enough to fight for themselves. I only hope that the school system that is charged with their care is strong enough to learn from this and protect them.
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5 Comments
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Waymon, good point about consequences. But are you saying that students SHOULDN'T fight for their right to be out if their school district doesn't have an anti-bullying policy?
Serena Freewomyn | March 31, 2008 4:53 PM
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Absolutely not! I hope it didn't come off that way! These girls are amazing!
My point is that I hope we can learn from what has happened to LGBT youth and work to provide them the support they need against bullying and harrassment. Our youth are on the front lines of the fight for acceptance and equality without much support.
The school system could learn much from students like these girls and provide them the protection they need, especially after taking such a couragous stand in such a conservative area.
Waymon Hudson | March 31, 2008 5:02 PM
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Isn't Beth Ditto from Alabama? I think that means they'll be alright....
Alex Blaze | March 31, 2008 5:24 PM
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Good Luck to these girls. Scottsboro, Alabama has been in the news before for its persecution of young people. Google "Scottsboro Boys." This was an infamous case in the 1930s.
The case of the Scottsboro Boys arose in Scottsboro, Alabama during the 1930s, when nine black youths, ranging in age from twelve to nineteen, were falsely accused of raping two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. Bates would later recant.
JK Johnson | March 31, 2008 5:29 PM
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OMG! That made me laugh so hard, Alex...
Waymon Hudson | March 31, 2008 5:30 PM
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