Miss. Prom Canceled Rather Than Let Lesbian Student Attend

[DPDarkPrimus]

Mississippi will still be shitheads, and I'd bet that even with this precedent, it won't be the last time they try to fuck over a non-traditional student; or hell, even a gay student in more or less exactly the same circumstances.

At least in that particular school district there will be policies in place prohibiting such disgusting things happening again, which means if it does happen again there will be unavoidable reprisals.

This is what it takes to get such a policy put in place there, I guess. Sexual orientation has been protected against discrimination in the school district I attended for over a decade. (I cannot find the exact year it was added because legal documents take forever to cross-reference without a clerk. )

[Vympel]

That's great. So they discriminated against the poor girl - and had to pay her $35,000. That should set her up nicely for the future, far away from that shit hole. I can only imagine that collection of bigots stewing in their own juices that dem damn dirty gays got a payout.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Between the $35,000 they settled for in damages and the anonymous $30,000 scholarship, she should be fairly well-set in the future. I just hope she has the thought to take her folks, take her girlfriend, and get the hell out of Mississippi.

But... $35,000's not that much in the grand scheme of things. I mean, it probably is in the kind of place in Old Miss where the school is actually called an "Agricultural" high school, but that's beans in any place in the country nice enough you might to want to go there. It'll get you there and maybe get a down-payment on a place made, but they'd better start earning fast if they want to keep making those payments.

Still, it's not really about the money. I just was hoping for a gavel to drop on these guys and a jury to pronounce them unquestionably guilty. Most settlements like this tend to be along the lines of "without admitting fault, here's some money so you go away"

[Solauren]

Unfortunately, now the organizers of all this have gotten off scot-free. $35,000 is not a big fine when dealing with most of the parents of a high school. That's like, $100 each.

I can spend more on a day trip.

[UnderAGreySky]

Between the $35,000 they settled for in damages and the anonymous $30,000 scholarship, she should be fairly well-set in the future. I just hope she has the thought to take her folks, take her girlfriend, and get the hell out of Mississippi.

Or better still, stay there and fight for the next person who gets discriminated against. Use the money, get a good education and come back and help the next person.

She doesn't *have* to do it, but I can dream...

[PeZook]

We have a saying in Poland: to have 35 000$ and not to have 35 000$ is 70 000$.

I disagree it's small change ; It's nothing compared to lifetime costs of living for a person, but it's more than a lot of people in America make in a year. It can get her an apartment, a car or a reputable education - all very, very valuable things by all counts.

[Simon_Jester]

Right.

There's an enormous amount of independence that you can get from having that kind of financial cushion. If you have some money in the bank, you can afford to be between jobs for a few months, or to live on a salary that doesn't cover your living expenses for the sake of staying in school. People with no savings don't have those luxuries.

[Uraniun235]

Good to see they got raked over the coals, but I'm kind of sorry to see that they settled. I'd have liked to see them get pressed into the coals and roasted in court.

Hell yeah, they should have totally bankrupted that school district! It's not like any of those students has any kind of future to look forward to, right? Let's just burn 'em for all they have.

Unfortunately, now the organizers of all this have gotten off scot-free. $35,000 is not a big fine when dealing with most of the parents of a high school. That's like, $100 each.

I can spend more on a day trip.

Yeah because when a school district gets fined, they totally send a bill to the parents.

What do you think would have happened if they lost the case in court? You think the judge would have inflicted individual punishments on the staff responsible for what happened? I don't think that's what happens when someone sues a school district.

[ShadowDragon8685]

Hell yeah, they should have totally bankrupted that school district! It's not like any of those students has any kind of future to look forward to, right? Let's just burn 'em for all they have.

First off, given the fact that it was more or less the entire Senior student body that participated with the scheme... I wouldn't have felt particularly bad if they'd hammered them for everything.

More importantly, however, and the part you missed in taking a flying fuckleap to pick apart my argument to find any mean way to interpret it as uncharitably as possible so you could attack me, was the fact that if they'd been roasted in a court, they would have been pronounced guilty of violating her civil rights.

That's the important part. They got away without that, squirmed out of admitting guilt by saying "here's a check, let's not mention this again."

[Serafina]

Hell yeah, they should have totally bankrupted that school district! It's not like any of those students has any kind of future to look forward to, right? Let's just burn 'em for all they have.

First off, given the fact that it was more or less the entire Senior student body that participated with the scheme... I wouldn't have felt particularly bad if they'd hammered them for everything.

More importantly, however, and the part you missed in taking a flying fuckleap to pick apart my argument to find any mean way to interpret it as uncharitably as possible so you could attack me, was the fact that if they'd been roasted in a court, they would have been pronounced guilty of violating her civil rights.

That's the important part. They got away without that, squirmed out of admitting guilt by saying "here's a check, let's not mention this again."

Sure, because the school district is spending most of it's money on students who already graduated. It's not like they need money to educate the other students.

The money she got seems adequate. It will be a great help for her - and much more is simply not adequate.
Honestly, i do not see any reasons to give her hundreds or thousands of dollars or even more, especially when taking that money from the school district will hurt other people.

[Uraniun235]

First off, given the fact that it was more or less the entire Senior student body that participated with the scheme... I wouldn't have felt particularly bad if they'd hammered them for everything.

More importantly, however, and the part you missed in taking a flying fuckleap to pick apart my argument to find any mean way to interpret it as uncharitably as possible so you could attack me, was the fact that if they'd been roasted in a court, they would have been pronounced guilty of violating her civil rights.

That's the important part. They got away without that, squirmed out of admitting guilt by saying "here's a check, let's not mention this again."

It's entirely possible for someone found guilty in court to continue protesting their innocence (whether true or false). If they'd fought it out to the end they could have still come out saying they thought they'd done the right thing, etc. Hell, if they were of a mind to really fight it, they could appeal it again and again. Settling is more of a concession than they might have otherwise given, and conserves resources for everyone involved.


Anyway, yes, you're exactly right. I misconstrued your post so as to let me attack you, because I personally hate you just that much. This is payback for all those times you scored one on me. And I almost got away with it too! Damn you!

[Flagg]

God forbid, the school districts might have had to cut their football teams.

[Night_stalker]

GASP! Not the football teams! Anything but them! You can cut funding for the new library, the new school books, the computer lab, and even the FIRST team but don't you even dare cut the football team's funding! They need those new solid gold class rings, with blue diamonds, despite their 0-19 season! (sorry, I jsut get really irritated when the football team gets more funding/attentionthan my FIRST team.)

Seriously though, what did the school expect would happen once the ACLU got involved? Did they think she would just roll over and try and avoid the spotlight?

[Solauren]

Unfortunately, now the organizers of all this have gotten off scot-free. $35,000 is not a big fine when dealing with most of the parents of a high school. That's like, $100 each.

I can spend more on a day trip.

Yeah because when a school district gets fined, they totally send a bill to the parents.

What do you think would have happened if they lost the case in court? You think the judge would have inflicted individual punishments on the staff responsible for what happened? I don't think that's what happens when someone sues a school district.

Actually, considering it was the School Board + Senior Students + Parents of the senior year together that pulled this off, the parents and students SHOULD be punished as well.

This wasn't just a school board violating her rights, it was a group of dozens, if not several hundred (depends on the size of the senior year), of people, each violating her rights. Either by being part of the set-up for, or participating in the event.

Simple as that. But they won't be punished.

Which is a bloody shame.

[Atlan]

GASP! Not the football teams! Anything but them! You can cut funding for the new library, the new school books, the computer lab, and even the FIRST team but don't you even dare cut the football team's funding! They need those new solid gold class rings, with blue diamonds, despite their 0-19 season! (sorry, I jsut get really irritated when the football team gets more funding/attentionthan my FIRST team.)

Seriously though, what did the school expect would happen once the ACLU got involved? Did they think she would just roll over and try and avoid the spotlight?

They do sound that stupid, yes.

Actually, I was kind of wondering if there have been Contempt Of Court charges handed out over this. Couldn't find that with a quick look, but this thing of holding two seperate proms, one (not so) covertly sponsored by the school, the other for the outcasts, sounds exactly like the kind of thing that judges really don't like.

[Night_stalker]

They could actually, but you should check with a lawyer or law student for confirmation.

[Uraniun235]

Actually, considering it was the School Board + Senior Students + Parents of the senior year together that pulled this off, the parents and students SHOULD be punished as well.

This wasn't just a school board violating her rights, it was a group of dozens, if not several hundred (depends on the size of the senior year), of people, each violating her rights. Either by being part of the set-up for, or participating in the event.

Simple as that. But they won't be punished.

Which is a bloody shame.

Gee, then maybe they should have filed suit against the parents and students.


What degree of punishment do you think would be appropriate?

[Night_stalker]

Having to repeat that year academicaly, plus say 10K penalties per family(but can be altered depending on family's financial status)

[CaiusWickersham]

A contempt hearing would certainly have come from me as counsel if I heard of this stunt. And if I even *suspected* the school's lawyer had an inkling of knowledge that this was being planned, that lawyer is looking at a long talk with the state ethics committee regarding candor to the court and suborning perjury.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Having to repeat that year academicaly, plus say 10K penalties per family(but can be altered depending on family's financial status)

Feel better now, internet tough-guy? Would you like to add a "HURR HURR HURR" to that? What the hell would your proposed solution possibly accomplish? I really want to know. Ten thousand dollars would very likely put every family sued into bankruptcy, on top of the burdens of having their children need to repeat a year of schooling. That would accomplish nothing productive; and, more likely than not, would ensure that any other LGBT students in the high school would have to spend the next year watching their backs.

[Night_stalker]

Did you miss the sentance in ()? It states "but can be altered depending on family's financial status". I was just using a baseline sum, and it seems relatively minor, considering the fact that after they leave school, they have to learn that acting like pricks to people who choose alternative lifestyles does not led to you getting a free party, it often leads to lawsuits being filed against you.

[Zed]

What's the crime of the parents? Organizing a party and not inviting somebody whose lifestyle they don't approve of? I doubt they can be sued. The school district - sure. The parents? On what grounds?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Did you miss the sentance in ()? It states "but can be altered depending on family's financial status". I was just using a baseline sum, and it seems relatively minor,

This is Bumfuck, Miss we're talking about here. Where nearly half the student body is eligible for school lunch on Uncle Sugar's dime on account of being poor.

considering the fact that after they leave school, they have to learn that acting like pricks to people who choose alternative lifestyles does not led to you getting a free party, it often leads to lawsuits being filed against you.

And bankrupting their families and forcing them to repeat a year of school will teach them this lesson . . . how, exactly? And who's to say that the lesson you want them to learn is the one they'll take away? Adopt your solution, and they're liable to learn that the best way to deal with the next Constance McMillen will be to simply have a small group of them go Biblical on her sodomite ass.

Penalizing the school and forcing them to implement a tolerance and gender identity/sexual orientation equality policy going forward (ideally with an educational component) really is the best way to handle this. The community gets to pay into perpetuity for their mistakes. Once for the modest payout to McMillen for her trouble, and the startup and ongoing costs involved in creating, implementing, and enforcing a tolerance policy which will be more likely to embolden LGBT students and encourage openness and tolerance going forward . . . a rather better outcome than the one that can be expected from "HURR HURR HURR, MAKE 'EM PAY!!111"

[Teebs]

They could actually, but you should check with a lawyer or law student for confirmation.

Although I'm a law student I actually have very little idea about contempt of court. That being said, on spacebattles.com it was said that some of the school staff had been found guilty of contempt of court (this was unsourced though).

[Solauren]

Actually, considering it was the School Board + Senior Students + Parents of the senior year together that pulled this off, the parents and students SHOULD be punished as well.

This wasn't just a school board violating her rights, it was a group of dozens, if not several hundred (depends on the size of the senior year), of people, each violating her rights. Either by being part of the set-up for, or participating in the event.

Simple as that. But they won't be punished.

Which is a bloody shame.

Gee, then maybe they should have filed suit against the parents and students.


What degree of punishment do you think would be appropriate?

Deduct 1 Grade point/level (i.e B just became a C) for all students that attended the Prom. Also, cancel all credit for ex-ciriculate activities for the year.
Fine the parents the cost of tossing the 'Prom' the young lady was tricked into going to, divided equally among the parents.