As I noted yesterday, the Itawamba Agricultural High School prom was canceled because Constance McMillen wanted to take her girlfriend and to wear a tuxedo. The school board encouraged community members to host a private prom. The American Humanist Association has met their challenge, though not in the way they likely anticipated. The AHA will host an LGBT inclusive prom.
For Immediate Release
(Washington, DC, March 12, 2010) The American Humanist Association (AHA) stepped forward today and offered to plan and fund a prom for the Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Mississippi. The Itawamba County School District made headlines earlier this week by cancelling their prom rather than letting a lesbian student, Constance McMillen, bring her girlfriend as her date.
“It’s shameful that closed-minded members of the school board are prepared to deprive an entire class of students their prom over their outdated religious mores.” said Roy Speckhardt, Executive Director of the AHA. “People can hold to any belief or no belief in this nation, but the school board misuses their position when they try to impose their beliefs on the student population in Itawamba.”
McMillen was barred from the prom after making it known that she intended to bring a same-sex date. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi became involved and demanded the school reverse its policy. The school board responded by cancelling the prom.
“The ACLU is doing good work in Mississippi, and we humanists can also bring resources to the table that will defend students from a repressive school board,” added Speckhardt. “Prom is a special event for teens across America; we’ll make sure it’s a special night for these students as well.”
AHA members Todd and Diana Steifel made a $20,000 grant available to the AHA for the purpose of holding a prom in Itawamba County. The AHA will be discussing logistics with the pertinent parties today.
Humanists and freethinkers have a history of speaking up for the rights of all. The AHA was among the first to support civil rights, equal pay for equal work, and the right of same-sex couples to marry. Recently the AHA launched the LGBT Humanist Council to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families.
The American Humanist Association advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across America.
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.
I can’t wait to see the photos. And kudos to the American Humanist Association for their generosity!
This really doesn’t surprise me considering it took until 2008 for Charleston, MS, to have a racially integrated prom (and for all I know there are still towns in MS that are holding racially segregated proms). But now an Itawamba school has not only refused to allow a lesbian couple to attend the prom, they’ve actually canceled the prom to keep the girls from attending as a couple.
JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event.
“Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year,” school board members said in a statement.
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Apparently LGBT students standing up for their rights are now “distractions”.
In the announcement, the school board encouraged the community to organize a private prom. “It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes anyone,” the statement concluded. School officials did not respond to calls seeking comment.
The announcement alarmed McMillen.
“Oh, my God. That’s really messed up because the message they are sending is that if they have to let gay people go to prom that they are not going to have one,” she said. “A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this.”
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Of course they want the other students to blame the victims, for then they’ll be absolved of any guilt for their own actions. But then that’s pretty much the RRRW way–do something then pin the blame on someone–anyone–else. Blame the victim, Satan, God, demons or anyone but themselves.
ACLU of Mississippi issued a letter demanding the district change its policy. The letter gave it until Wednesday to decide on a course of action.
The ban on same-sex dates is a violation of McMillen’s constitutional rights, said Sun, the ACLU’s senior attorney on gay rights. “We believe the law is pretty clear,” Sun said. “The school just can’t arbitrarily say you have to bring an opposite date to the prom.”
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In today’s legal complaint, the ACLU asks the court to reinstate the prom for all students and charges that the First Amendment guarantees students’ right to bring same-sex dates to school dances and cites cases holding that other parties’ objections don’t justify censorship. The ACLU also said that the school further violates McMillen’s free expression rights by telling her that she can’t wear a tuxedo to the prom.
“It’s shameful and cowardly of the school district to have canceled the prom and to try to blame Constance, who’s only standing up for herself. We will fight tooth and nail for the prom to be reinstated for all students,” said Christine P. Sun, Senior Counsel with the ACLU national LGBT Project, who represents McMillen along with the ACLU of Mississippi.
The ACLU will ask the court in the next few days to grant McMillen a preliminary injunction ordering the school to reinstate the April 2 prom, let McMillen and her girlfriend go to the prom together, and let McMillen wear a tuxedo to the event.
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I wish them success. Constance and her girlfriend deserve the right to attend their prom along with everyone else.
The RRRWers are constantly screaming about children being “taught gay marriage” in schools. They go into a frenzy any time a school implements a non-discrimination program that attempts to teach students that it’s bad to bully LGBT people. For at least two months before the annual Day of Silence they rend their garments and make outrageous claims about the student’s silence “disrupting” classes and indoctrinating others into the “homosexual lifestyle”. Why do they do all of this?
It’s that simple. Children who haven’t been taught to hate aren’t bigots. It’s only when they are indoctrinated with lies like “god says gays are bad” and “there’s only one acceptable type of family” that the bigotries take root. And, of course, the RRRWers don’t want all of their hard work undone by some lib’rul school system that teaches crazy things like “do unto others”. That’s not something Jesus would have espoused.
So while they rant about the schools “indoctrinating” their children into homosexuality they actually fear just the opposite. They fear their children will be un-indoctrinated, and begin to reject the dogma they’ve been fed from the time they were born. They fear their children will see through all of the lies they’ve been told about LGBT people and their families. And then the children will begin to wonder what other lies their parents have told them…
Update: Due to a barrage of hateful comments from YouTube users the owners of the video have decided to make it “private”. However a transcript of the video is available.
I don’t understand why these men are facing any charges. I’m sure they were only acting in accordance with their deeply held religious beliefs. Their freedoms are at stake here!
SAN FRANCISCO — Three Hayward cousins are facing hate crime charges after a man was shot in the face with a BB gun because the attackers believed he was gay, according to San Francisco authorities.
A video of the assault and other similar crimes was recorded by the attackers and is being held as evidence, assistant district attorney Brian Buckelew said.
Mohammad Habibzada, 24, Shafiq Hashemi, 21, and Sayed Bassam, 21, were arrested about 15 minutes after the shooting, when police spotted a car in the area that matched a description given by the victim. The suspects have addresses in Hayward.
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All three suspects are facing three felony counts and one misdemeanor. They include assault with a deadly weapon with a hate crime enhancement, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and attempted mayhem.
“Here we have a guy, shot in face with BB gun, who could have easily been shot in the eye,” Buckelew said.
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Bucklew said “multiple” other victims are on the confiscated video, and the crimes appear to have happened in San Francisco. He said they have not had anyone else come forward, but more charges may be filed if someone does.
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State Sen. Roy Ashburn, the Bakersfield Republican who was arrested in Sacramento last week on suspicion of drunk driving, came out as gay in a radio interview this morning.
“I am gay. And so, those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long,” Ashburn told radio host Inga Barks on her show on the KERN station in Bakersfield.
I positively detest self-loathing homosexual (for the term gay simply doesn’t apply to anybody of his ilk) politicians who work to harm LGBT people. They are vermin.
He defended his voting record, saying he cast votes that his constituents wanted. Ashburn represents the 18th Senate District, which covers a huge swath of the central and southern part of the state.
“I felt my duty, and I still feel this way, is to represent my constituents,” Ashburn said, adding later that “I don’t think it’s something that has affected or will affect how I do my job.”
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“I was only doing my duty”. Gee where have I heard that one before? At any rate, Ashburn didn’t just vote for anti-gay measures, he actively campaigned against LGBT rights. He was not an innocent party merely doing his job. He was personally and willingly involved in harming LGBT people. He deserves nothing but contempt.
Rock for Equality is a national event to demand equal Social Security benefits for all LGBT Americans. This year we will rally on April 11th in Los Angeles to demand equal benefits for our LGBT seniors. Please join us in raising awareness about one of the most under recognized and harshly consequential issues in the LGBT movement! Join us at Rock for Equality.
Larry Langford is the former mayor of Birmingham. During his reign he claimed prayer and Bibles were the best way to combat the rising crime rate in his city. Accordingly he ordered thousands of Bibles and sack-cloths, so people could be properly attired when they prayed.
It was no surprise to many when Langford was later arrested for bribery and money laundering. He has now been sentenced to 15 years for 60 counts of fraud, bribery and money laundering. If only he’d remembered to save a Bible and a sackcloth for himself he might not be in this mess.
BAD: CBS affiliate CBS13 reports that Roy Ashburn, a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk.
WORSE: CBS affiliate CBS13 reports that Roy Ashburn, a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk AFTER LEAVING A GAY BAR.
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WORST: CBS affiliate CBS13 reports that Roy Ashburn, a MARRIED state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving a gay bar with another man in the car.
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WORSTEST: CBS affiliate CBS13 reports that Roy Ashburn, a married, Republican state senator from Southern California WITH A HISTORY OF OPPOSING GAY RIGHTS was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving a gay bar with another man in the car.
Another source indicates that it is unlikely Ashburn was at Faces, since Tuesdays are “Latin Night” at the popular club and “A white guy would stick out like a sore thumb”. However there are reportedly numerous clubs gay and straight clubs in the area so it’s possible Ashburn was at one of them rather than at Faces.
“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did.
I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”
The nature/nurture debate over human sexual orientation has been raging for many years now. Some, particularly religious individuals, insist being gay is a choice and it’s a sin. Some say it’s an inherent part of who we are. Others are somewhere in between.
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Most geneticists consider sexual orientation a phenotype — namely, an observable set of properties that varies among individuals. Although physical phenotypes like height and weight are easier to quantify, behavioral phenotypes are intensely studied in animals and humans. Research from many directions leads to a strong conclusion: Human sexual orientation has deep biological roots.
Moreover, the empirical evidence for the role of genetics in human sexual orientation has been quietly but steadily mounting over the last 15 years. Studies of twins — the mainstay of quantitative human genetics — have been conducted on large populations in three countries. The results unambiguously demonstrate that heritability plays a major role in sexual orientation and far outweighs shared environmental factors such as education or parenting.
During the early 1990s, there was an unfortunate flurry of less-than-convincing findings on specific genes and sometimes over-hyped media announcements. Indeed, critics of sexual orientation inheritance are fond of pointing out that there is no single identified “gay gene.” However, they fail to mention that the same is true for height, skin color, handedness, frequency of heart disease and many other traits that have a large inherited component but no dominant gene. In other words, sexual orientation is complex, i.e., many genes contribute to the phenotype.
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All of these findings demand the conclusion that most gay people no more choose their sexual orientation than most heterosexuals. (”Most” is used here to indicate that — like almost everything biological — these are statistical data and do not apply uniformly.) This conclusion is also consonant with our memories: Most of us were stunned as unsuspecting adolescents to discover our sexual orientation — heterosexuals and homosexuals alike.
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That being said, whether sexual orientation is inborn (and I firmly believe it is) or chosen really doesn’t matter when it comes to civil rights. Some like to claim that people choose to be gay, and as such we don’t deserve any “special rights” because we could choose to be straight (and why reward “sin” yadda yadda). However people choose to be religious. People also can and do change churches, religious denominations, and even which god(s) they believe in, or don’t believe in. Nonetheless they have full protection of their Religious Freedom under the US Constitution. Surely if something as mutable as religion/faith garners such stringent protection, sexual orientation should as well–whether or not it’s entirely inborn.
