School district must pick up legal fees for their bigotry
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
A federal judge has ordered a Mississippi school district to pay about $81,000 in legal fees and expenses in a lawsuit filed by a lesbian student who was told she would be ejected from a prom if she brought her girlfriend.
The decision…by a federal judge may be the final chapter in the well-publicized legal battle between a lesbian teenager and the Mississippi school district.
The lawsuit against the school district in Fulton, Mississippi, was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Constance McMillen. The lawsuit was settled in July, and the school district agreed to pay McMillen $35,000 in damages and adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. The July settlement was not part of the $81,000 payment ordered by the judge Tuesday.
The issue made national news after McMillen, the lesbian teen, was told by Itawamba Agricultural High School officials she and her girlfriend would be barred from attending the school-sponsored prom.
At the time, support poured in for the teen. She served as the grand marshal for New York’s Gay Pride Parade, got a $30,000 college scholarship from an anonymous donor and a Facebook page called “Let Constance Take Her Girlfriend to Prom!” attracted more than 400,000 fans.
And the support was more than deserved. Think back to your own high school years. Ever get out of line? Ever get out of line over a principled issue like civil rights?
Life is difficult enough for teenagers discovering they’re part of a new minority that adults, officialdom and reactionary politicians revel in hating. Having the courage to challenge the creeps whose idea of status quo is roughly to the Confederate States of America is more than challenging. It’s truly heroic.
The settlements? Overdue. Hit these creeps where their hearts live. In their wallets.
