How far will people go to keep homosexual couples out of a public setting where they will stand out? In this case it was in regards to creating a fake prom for one lesbian teenager who wanted to attend with her date. Constance McMillan was a teenager who was ready to bring her girlfriend to the school prom and wear a tux. When the school found out about this, the prom was cancelled. She took the case to court and a federal judge ruled that it was a violation of her constitutional rights, but they did not state that the prom had to be reopened. The prom was however reopened but only seven kids were invited and attended this prom, two of them being Constance and her date, and another two were kids with learning disabilities. The rest of the school was invited to another prom, organized in secret by their parents, which these seven students were not invited to. Constance McMillan is now fighting a legal battle with her school over this matter. This seems to me like a lot of work to keep them out of the public and from mixing with other students. In addition to violating the rights of a lesbian couple, two people with learning disabilities were lumped into the same category and sent to this fake prom as well, instead of the prom the rest of the school attended. This makes me wonder what lengths will people go to just to keep up a public image and keep those who might go against the norms away from public image?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/06/national/main6367855.shtml
Friday, April 9, 2010
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I think the LGBT group still has a long way to go to achieve equal rights in the American society. Look at segregation and racism between white and black. When Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, not all whites, especially the Southerners, shared a similar dream. Blacks may think they're finally free, but was that really true? It took almost two centuries before the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King occurred, fighting for the same thing, the total liberation of blacks from discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI think the LGBT group will have to go through a similar route in achieving equality in society. The time frame, however, might be shorter due to today's rapid dissemination of information. It was long before the days of Internet when the African-American Civil Rights Movement occurred. Yet Rev. King could amass 300,000 people in 1963 to march on National Mall.
Changes are taking place, and like we talked about in class, change in legislature alone will only be a short-term solution to a long-term problem. There needs to be a change in mindset. Perhaps Rorty and Glendon's sentimental education will do the trick.
By the way, Constance McMillan will be Grand Marshall for 2010's New York City Pride parade happening June 27th:
http://www.nycpride.org/pdf/Constance_McMillen_NYC_Grand_Marshal_PressRelease.pdf
Perhaps this can be seen as part of change. The LGBT community is using its freedom of speech and assembly very effectively.