As if you didn’t expect this to happen: With Itawamba County School District canceling its prom over The Lesbian Date Scandal, parents have taken the school’s advice and organized their own private prom “at a furniture mart in nearby Tupleo.” Constance McMillen has not been invited.
The original prom was scheduled for April 2, which means there’s still a tiny, little, itty bitty chance Itawamba will reverse its decision, hold its own prom, and invite all members of its senior class, but that’s unlikely. And all this time Constance has been rebuffing offers from famous people to throw her a fantastic all-starz prom, simply because she wanted to attend her own.
Mrs. Sippy
Probably good to find out from Tupelo Furniture Market if they are ok with having a segregated prom.
Tupelo Furniture Market
1879 North Coley Road
Tupelo, MS 38801
Phone: (662) 842-4442
Fax: (662) 844-3665
Email: [email protected]
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Melinda Ware
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Vicki Hitchcock
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Housing/Hostess Home Program
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Connie Clayton
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Janice Coleman
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Krissy Dickerson
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Patsy Harris
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Peggy Young
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Stef
How sad. Grown adults bullying a young girl. Ostracizing a teenager. Telling a child she is not good enough. Because, regardless of her courage and her poise through this matter, she is still, legally, a child. Grown adults, parents opting to push another child out and make her feel different and unwanted.
Sickening.
Even sadder, is that it appears not one of her classmates has stepped up to the plate and gone to bat for her, calling these dbags out on their bullshit. Some friends.
Karma. I was picked on visciously in high school. I went back for my five year reunion boasting a relationship with a star hockey player, and several modeling experiences under my belt. The girls and guys who made fun of me? Fat, short, and unemployed.
It exists.
I hope Constance takes up one of the celeb proms…and I hope if she is going to college, she chose somewhere OUT of the boondocks, where real people exist. She won’t know herself once she goes somewhere where people really only care about how much beer you can drink! 🙂
Eric
Prom at a furniture mart… so classy!
romeo
@Eric #2: Welcome to Mississippi! 😀
Tom in Lazybrook
I’m wondering if that furniture mart has been identified. If so, what furniture lines do they sell and would it be worthwhile to contact them about their relationship with the Bigots Prom?
jeffree
The bigots r looking worse with every passing day!
What is sad is that so far we havent seen any of her class mates stand up for Constance, like on facebook or twitter. (or may be i just missed it)
i said on another article here that i hope she leaves Mississipi & goes somewhere she can be her self without all the haters ganged up against her.
EWE
The school had better NEVER hold another prom in the future either or they will be subject to being libel for a discriminatory policy toward one particular girl in one particular year.
Jay
Facebook page…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/tupelofurnituremarket
Tom in Lazybrook
Thanks Jay.
Lets see what their creditors (e.g., furniture suppliers) think of them hosting the Bigots Ball.
Hoffmanic
Dan Savage posted the bigots’ school phone, fax and email in his latest column (link: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=3627249) – see his call to action at the end of the letters. Let’s make sure those hypochristian bullies know that their actions have not gone unnoticed. Constance, you are true civil rights hero – we are proud of you and your courage!
Tom in Lazybrook
I’ve got an even BETTER idea. Contact Toyota and tell them that if they open their delayed new plant in Tupelo, you will boycott Toyota products.
Call Toyota, tell them you will not buy a car from a company that builds cars where Gays are abused like this poor girl. Make them make a stand.
This will get the attention of Tupelo.
terrwill
@Tom in Lazybrook: Actually a pretty good idea. Toyota is panicking now because everytime one of their cars become entrants in the Death Race 2010 their market share declines……….
What do you expect from the loving community of Tupelo??? That is the birthplace of one of the most vile, hatefilled groups ever to sully the nation. Donald Wildmons American Family Association is based there, guaranteed they are active participants in this horror show.
It is so scary that these “Americans” in the deep south in 2010 can be so damm close minded, bigoted, and outright hateful to a 17 year old girl.
Maybe the civil war wasn’t such a bad idea after all………..
Tom in Lazybrook
The Toyota plant delayed opening is a HUGE issue in Tupelo. Just sayin’
Ryan
the Toyota plant is in blue springs in union county
the tupelo furniture market is in tupelo in lee county
the high school is in itawamba county almost an hour from Toyota
why does it make sense to boycott Toyota because someone doesn’t want someone else to come to their party?
Why not Nissan since they have a plant in canton Mississippi? Or ford since they have plants in America?
Perhaps you are thinking that this will show those mississipi people because they won’t be able to get jobs there
the people resposible for this already work at the itawamba county school
they would never quit and decide to get a job in car manufacturing anyway
you thinking this was in anyway a good idea makes me seriously wonder if where ever you live has dumber people than here in Mississippi!
tupelo furniture market is completely unassosiated with the school or the private party
they rent the building out to anyone that wants it during the rest of the year when there is no furniture market
this is common here because they have really huge empty rooms and the place is pretty decent inside and isn’t as crappy as it sounds
AFA is unrelated to the itawamba schools
remember NOTHING illegal has been done. Absolutely that girl got the short end of the stick, but it (amazingly) it is legal for a school to cancel their prom for no reason at all
it is also perfectly legal to have a private gathering and say who can be a part of it. It would violate the people hosting the private proms rights (right to a private gathering or whatever it is) if they forced them to allow her to come
the girl has had no right violated so far
Ryan
Remember i’m not necesarily supporting the move
was it mean? Yes
is it legal to be mean? Yes
the right i refered to in the first ammenment “the right to peaceably assemble” I would assume that means you get to say who is assembling with you
FYI i go to tupelo high school and live in blue springs
Dave
@Mrs. Sippy:
No, no, no…you don’t ask the Tupelo Furniture Market if they’re okay with hosting a segregated prom…you ask their EXHIBITORS if they’re okay with Tupelo Furniture Market hosting a segregated prom!
http://www.tupelofurnituremarket.com/exhibitorlisting.asp
Dave
@Ryan:
Ryan, you’re not “supporting” the move…you’re just acting as an apologist for it. Stop going on about the legality of the decision and take a stand on the ethics and morality. You know they canceled the prom because they wanted her classmates to blame her for it. As a teenager yourself, I’d like to know what you think about the grownups who run the school deliberately making a pariah of a little girl.
And by the way, YOU’RE WRONG about it being legal to exclude her from the “private” prom, because it’s not really “private.” The school district announced that they wanted someone else to host the prom. Sorry, but a government entity can’t legally ask a private citizen to do it’s dirty work for it. She’s going to win her lawsuit.
Ryan Hollis
@Dave
“YOU’RE WRONG about it being legal to exclude her from the “private” prom”
Imagine i rented out one of the buildings of the furniture market to have my birthday party
i could say whether or not you get to come inside. if i choose to exclude you because you are black (just pretend you are, ok), i could. It would be legal bc its my friggin party i can invite who ever the heck i want at it (you can smile at this)
now imagine a few parents of students at this school use their money to rent out the building and lets their children choose who comes
This is still a private party. Proms are normally public, but that doesn’t mean they are all public. if you use your own money to pay for it, then it is private event
there is not a law you could make that would differentiate the two instances and make one illegal and the other not.
Sorry, but a government entity can’t legally ask a private citizen to do it’s dirty work for it.
I doubt this happened in this situation
i feel sure that the students and parents did this on their own, so that their kids could still have a prom
Even if they did, feel like they legally could do this. its called loop holes, and they are everywhere. the school officials are no doubt douche bags, but not criminals. you can do something that is for the reason of hating gay people, say you are just doing it, and the court can prove you did it because you hate gay people.
and take a stand on the ethics and morality
I would like every one to get along and be friends and there to be no problems,but the world isn’t an ethically or morally save place.
Being excluded from a party with some people you thought were your friends, isn’t something i see as immoral. and is one of those things that the government really doesn’t have time to deal with.
There are people that i do not like, for what ever reason it is, and i want the right to not have them at a private event, even if that means i dont have the right to go an event hosted by someone that doesn’t like me.
Ryan Hollis
you can do something that is for the reason of hating gay people, say you are doing it JUST BECAUSE OR TO FOR ANY OTHER REASON, and the court CAN NOT prove you did it because you hate gay people.