Lesbian who sued over prom talks about gay bullies - Boston.com

Lesbian who sued over prom talks about gay bullies

FILE - In this March 22, 2010 file photograph, Itawamba County Agricultural High School senior Constance McMillen, gestures as she leaves the federal courthouse in Aberdeen, Miss., following a hearing regarding the ACLU's preliminary injunction to force the prom at her high school. McMillen's fight against intolerance is a reason Glamour magazine has named her as one of its "Women of the year 2010. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

By Shelia Byrd

Associated Press / November 5, 2010

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JACKSON, Miss.—The lesbian who successfully challenged a rural Mississippi school district's ban on same-sex prom dates says she wept when she read about the recent spate of gay teen suicides linked to harassment.

Constance McMillen, who was recently named one of Glamour magazine's "Women of the Year 2010," told The Associated Press that she became a bullying victim after she challenged the Itawamba School District over a policy that prohibited her from bringing her girlfriend to the prom and wearing a tuxedo.

McMillen, 18, said she became emotional after reading about the suicides of 13-year-old Seth Walsh, of California, who hanged himself outside his home after enduring taunts from classmates, and of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers

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Friday, November 5, 2010