Furor continues over Miss. high school that dumped prom rather than allow lesbian couple

“I never thought in a thousand, a billion years that there would be that many people that were supporting what I was doing. … I just want to say that I think you should stand up for what you believe in, stand up for who you are,” McMillen says in a video posted on the site.

The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit March 11 after the school board called off the prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Miss., rather than allow McMillen and her girlfriend to attend as a couple.

“Itawamba school officials are trying to turn Constance into the villain who called the whole thing off, and that just isn’t what happened. She’s fighting for everyone to be able to enjoy the prom,” said Kristy Bennett, Legal Director of the ACLU of Mississippi, in a press release. “The government, and that includes public schools, can’t censor someone’s free expression just because some other person might not like it.”

The ACLU seeks a preliminary injunction to require the school to hold the April 2 prom and allow McMillen and her date to attend, with McMillen wearing a tuxedo.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition says it has received multiple offers from other venues willing to host a prom for the students.

Photo: Constance McMillen says she was just trying to be herself when she asked her Mississippi high school to let her bring a female date to the prom. (Photo via Facebook)