A school violated the rights of a gay teen

A judge has ruled that officials at a US high school violated the rights of a gay pupil when they banned her from a prom because she wanted to take her girlfriend with her. The judge told the Itawamba County School District in the US state of Mississippi that their decision violated the pupil’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

When the pupil, Constance McMillen, told her school she planned to wear a tuxedo and bring her girlfriend to the prom, they decided to cancel the dance altogether. Constance then contacted the civil rights group American Civil Liberties Union, which helped her take the school to court. “All I ever wanted was for my school to treat me and my girlfriend like any other couple that wants to go to prom," says Constance.

The story has made Constance a hero to gay teens everywhere. The Facebook page, Let Constance Take Her Girlfriend to Prom, has more than 400,000 fans.