Dancing with Humanists
There are many times–unless I can think of a really snarky and sarcastic approach to take–that I take a pass on talking about the seemingly endless stories of self-righteously hypocritical homophobes and ultra-fundamentalist anti-science wackos responsible for many recent headline. There are several good reasons but largely it's because I really prefer to take a more positive tone towards things rather than jumping up and down too much and shouting "look at the stupid bastards!", because all that seems to do is raise my blood pressure unnecessarily. Some people are good at channeling all that negative energy into quite useful confrontations and awareness raising and I love for fighting the good fight. I just don't seem to work effectively that way, most times.
So I am very, very pleased at the positive turn that this story has taken combining, as it does, a positive affirming development that nevertheless provides a satisfying amount of comeuppance for the dastardly homophobes.
The story began: Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba County Agricultural High School, in the northeastern Mississippi town of Tupelo, wanted to go to her senior prom with her girlfriend. She also wanted to wear a tuxedo, according to reports. Based on the photos of ms. McMillen that I've seen, I think she would look good in a tuxedo.
Well, she was told she couldn't do that. If I have the sequence of events correct, Ms. McMillen then contacted the ACLU for help. the ACLU contacted the school and suggested strongly that the school not bar Ms. McMillen and her date. The cognizant school board got uppity and canceled the prom. Few people except the school board members found this to be a sensible response.
Consider, for instance, the opinions of one Ms. Diane Roberts:
"It's just a sad situation. I feel sorry for the children who ain't going to get to have their prom," said Diane Roberts, a hair stylist in Fulton, which is about 25 miles east of Tupelo.
Roberts said the school board's decision has placed the entire city of about 4,000 in a negative light.
"It's a small town and we have wonderful people here, don't get me wrong. But there are some people on the board who think they are the last word," she said. "You can't judge people like that. That's between them and their good lord."
[Chris Joyner, "Canceled Mississippi prom attracts national attention", The Clarion-Ledger [MS], 12 March 2010.]
Happily, Ms. McMillan has the full support of her father, Michael, her aunt, and her father's girlfriend — not to mention the ACLU and Ms. Roberts, quoted above. Predictably some people support the school board's actions, using words like "sin" and "lifestyle" in dull and cliched ways.
In what I'm sure was suggested in a mocking, smirking fashion, the school board piously hoped that perhaps some private concern (who could exclude whomever they liked) might sponsor a prom for the disaffected seniors lest their lives be permanently scarred.
Here comes the part that amuses me. Some group has stepped forward with a very generous offer to sponsor an independent event, with plans to invite everyone at the school:
The American Humanist Association (AHA) stepped forward today and offered to plan and fund a prom for the Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Mississippi. The Itawamba County School District made headlines earlier this week by cancelling their prom rather than letting a lesbian student, Constance McMillen, bring her girlfriend as her date.
“It’s shameful that closed-minded members of the school board are prepared to deprive an entire class of students their prom over their outdated religious mores.” said Roy Speckhardt, Executive Director of the AHA. "People can hold to any belief or no belief in this nation, but the school board misuses their position when they try to impose their beliefs on the student population in Itawamba.”
[press release, "Humanists Prepare to Hold LGBT-Inclusive Prom in Mississippi", American Humanist Association press release, 12 March 2010.]
I find it charming that a bunch of "godless" humanists have decided to demonstrate to the pin-headed school-board members how to plan an event that can be enjoyed by all.
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity, Reflections
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I welcome comments -- even dissent -- but I will delete without notice irrelevant, rude, psychotic, or incomprehensible comments, particularly those that I deem homophobic, unless they are amusing. The same goes for commercial comments and trackbacks. Sorry, but it's my blog and my decisions are final.
on Sunday, 14 March 2010 at 21.57
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What a delightfully ironic twist: humanists practicing the biblical directive, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." That, and the fact that those school board bigots won't get to spoil everyone's good time because of their unwillingness to accept a lesbian student and her date.
With all the genuinely awful things causing people anxiety, loss and grief right now, what a shame a handful of narrow-minded people can abuse their little bit of power in such a stupid and selfish way. What, exactly, did they expect, that the presence of a girl-girl couple would cause half the females attending to turn lesbian? It would be hilarious if it weren't so unnecessary and potentially hurtful.
on Sunday, 14 March 2010 at 23.45
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SW, you spur thoughts of optimism in me. Today, in these US places and these times, we fight the good fight for equality of another group of Americans against some who fear what they see as giving up something–what would they be giving up?–to yet another reviled minority group. Tsk. Today the actions of this lost-in-the-fifties school board mostly cause us amusement and some irritation. Fifty years ago such bigots could have cause much, much more pain and anguish with much, much less effort, not to mention much, much less disapprobation from their society.
I want them to stop sooner rather than later, of course, but I see now that they are a species marked for extinction.