Constance McMillen, the lesbian student who was denied access to her prom in Fulton, Miss., because she wanted to bring her girlfriend, has won a court victory.
Through the American Civil Liberties Union, McMillen filed suit against the Itawamba County School District, alleging that the district’s efforts to hold a “decoy” prom for her while the students attended the “real” prom 30 miles away was cruel and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on her.
On Tuesday, the district signed a consent decree, agreeing to implement a policy banning discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and pay McMillen’s attorneys’ fees and $35,000 settlement. The policy becomes the first in a Mississippi public school to ban this kind of discrimination.
