$30,000 for girl in lesbian prom row
March 22nd, 2010 by Kaite.Welsh
Mississippi teen Constance McMillen may have been banned from going to her high school prom with her girlfriend, but her luck is starting to turn. Appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, she was presented with a $30, 000 cheque by the openly lesbian presenter. The money was raised by digital media website Tonic.com, who wanted to contribute to her higher education.
“When I was your age, I would never have had the strength to do what you did,” confessed DeGeneres, who came out to her mother in her teens but waited two decades before announcing it to the world. The talk show host praised not only the courage of McMillen, but the tolerance and support shown by her family.
In a saga covered widely by both the mainstream and LGBT press, the Itawamba County school board had cancelled the prom following McMillen’s dual requests to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo, citing “distractions cased to the educational process caused by recent events.”
Tonic, who describe themselves as “a little group of crazies trying to do a world of good,” have also offered the teenager an internship at their New York offices this summer.
comments