Gay teen takes boyfriend to prom in Cochran, Ga.

Tonight’s the night

Derrick Martin and his boyfriend Richard Goodman will attend the Bleckley County High School prom tonight after Martin was able to secure permission from school authorities to do so.

Martin told GA Voice on Friday he was planning on having no media attend the prom with him even though the story has garnered national headlines and the couple has received numerous media requests to do so. A local church is planning an alternate prom for students upset with Martin and Goodman, according to the Macon Telegraph.

On April 9, a rally organized by PFLAG Macon attracted some 100 supporters of the teens attending the Bleckley prom.

In an interview with GA Voice, Martin said, “There was a time when I wasn’t sure I could go to the prom. But you can take your boyfriend or your girlfriend to prom even if you are gay.

“It’s prom. In the big picture, it’s a good first step,” Martin added. “Then someone else starts with marriage or any rights or anything that’s hard for us as a community to achieve.”

Martin was also recently honored by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus for his courage when they made him an honorary member.