Published: April 02, 2011
Op-Ed Contributor
Lesbian Student Allowed to Wear Tuxedo to Prom
By Robert Paul Reyes
"An Illinois high school senior won the right to wear a tuxedo to her prom after the school district was contacted by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Belinda Sanchez, 18, said she contacted the ACLU of Illinois after Milton Patch, principal of Proviso East High School in Maywood, told her she would not be allowed to wear a tuxedo to prom, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.
Sanchez, who said she has been openly lesbian since her freshman year, said she was shocked by Patch's decision because her school has otherwise been supportive of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students."UPIThe school administrators who made the original decision to prohibit Sanchez from wearing a tuxedo to the prom should be fired, plain and simple.
It's blatantly homophobic and discriminatory to ban the young woman from wearing an article of clothing that expresses pride in her lesbian orientation.
We must always be vigilant in protecting our rights against petty tyrants. Sanchez stood up for her rights, and contacted the ACLU.
The young heroine will be able to attend her prom dressed in a tuxedo. God bless Sanchez and the ACLU.
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Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.
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