Banned prom student wins $35,000 settlement
July 21st, 2010 by Martina.Booth
A US student who was not allowed to attend her school prom with her girlfriend has won $35,000 in damages.
In March, Itawamba Agricultural High School in Mississippi cancelled their prom after Constance McMillen asked to bring her girlfriend to the event and wear a tuxedo.
McMillen, who sued the school with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, accepted a settlement of $35,000 plus damages - plus an agreement from the school to implement anti-discrimination policies.
The 18-year-old said she was “so glad” that the ordeal was over.
“I won’t ever get my prom back, but it’s worth it if it changes things at my school,” she said.
“I hope this means that in the future students at my school will be treated fairly. I know there are students and teachers who want to start a gay-straight alliance club, and they should be able to do that without being treated like I was by the school.”
ACLU’s Christine P Sun said: “Constance went through a great deal of harassment and humiliation simply for standing up for her rights, and she should be proud of what she has accomplished.
“Thanks to her bravery, we now not only have a federal court precedent that can be used to protect the rights of students all over the country to bring the date they want to their proms, but we also have the first school anti-discrimination policy of its kind in Mississippi.”
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