Inmates running the asylum

You know the saying about inmates running the asylum, right? In a similar vein, the children are running the Itawamba County School District in Mississippi.

The sordid tale started when Constance McMillen wanted to dress up in a tuxedo and take her girlfriend to the prom. Yes, Constance is a girl. But the school board nixed her plan. No same sex dates at the prom! Perhaps the children there are so fragile and unused to new ideas that they’d instantly expire. The ACLU got involved, and instead of a stand-up fight, the children…ummm, I mean the fine folks at the school board, decided to cancel the prom altogether. See what I mean? I expect such a reaction from angry children, not the people in charge of the institutions preparing our children for the real world.

Come to think of it, if they can make it through utter bullshit like this, the real world will be easy. But I digress…

At this point, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit in federal court on McMillen’s behalf, to prevent the school board from cancelling the prom. I can’t see how the school board will marshal any sort of legitimate defence. They say they cancelled the prom “due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.” Do they not see that they’re making it far worse? Streisand effect, anyone? Even more lame is their reason for saying she couldn’t bring her girlfriend to the prom. They claim same-sex dates violate students’ rights. Welcome to the twilight zone.

I hope McMillen prevails. She’s got a good start because her dad knows what’s what. She said that she didn’t want to go back to school after the board announced that they had cancelled the prom, but her dad convinced her to. She said,

My daddy told me that I needed to show them that I’m still proud of who I am. The fact that this will help people later on, that’s what’s helping me to go on.

You’re a good man, Mr. McMillan. You should be proud of your daughter.

Hat tip: CBC News