Newsmakers of the Year

Constance McMillen

We all deserve to love whomever we choose. That right should equally apply to choice of prom dates. In March, the Itawamba County School District in Mississippi canceled its school prom rather than allow high school senior Constance McMillen to attend with her girlfriend. A federal judge ruled that McMillen’s first amendment rights were violated. She was later excluded from a private prom but attended another event with a handful of equality-minded students, including two with learning disabilities. “They had the time of their lives,” McMillen said. “That’s the one good thing that came out of this, [these kids] didn’t have to worry about people making fun of them [at their prom].”