Feel free to sing along (to the tune of Girl from Ipanema): Brave and proud and young and lovely, the girl from Itawamba goes dancing...or, sadly, maybe she doesn't. Once again life is imitating art, with a small town in Bible country denying students a high school prom. The fictional Footloose had a happy ending with John Lithgow eventually seeing the light and Kevin Bacon dancing his way into our collective heart. I can only hope that the real life story ends as happily. In the current drama, the Itawamba County (MS) School District cancelled the senior prom rather than face and likely lose an ACLU lawsuit. The conflict stems from the school district pushing a policy that would not allow Constance McMillen, an 18 year-old senior at Itawamba County Agricultural High School to wear a tuxedo to the prom or bring her girlfriend as her date. Since the district was forced to choose between maintaining its bigotry and holding a prom, it opted for the former and cancelled the dance.
Particulars of this case aside, I want to discuss the response from a local pastor, which I suspect is fairly representative. Pastor Bobby Crenshaw of the Southside Baptist Church said that he has seen the South portrayed as "backwards" on websites discussing this matter, but he defended the community, by saying that, "A lot more people here have biblically based values." Even if we give Pastor Crenshaw a break and conveniently forget the biblical dictates not to judge one another and, more importantly, to treat others as you would have them treat you, let's compare the "biblically based values" by which the good people of Itawamba County presumably live to what the school district finds so objectionable. If ham, barbecue pork or a variety of other items were on the menu at the prom, the God-fearin' folk would have no objection, even though the Bible declares that eating such things is an abomination. Of course, gays and lesbians are to be condemned because the Bible also declares their sexuality an abomination. Anyone who ignores biblical condemnation of some things deemed abominable while claiming an obligation to honor other such condemnations that happen to suit them ("Hey, it's not like I want to be a sniveling bigot, but I owe it to my Lord and Savior") is a liar and a fraud. If you believe that homosexuality is wrong that's one thing, but don't tell me you do so because the Bible demands it unless you pay the same respect to other nonsense sprinkled liberally throughout that book.
Finally, I want to examine the sense of moral superiority that those who object to homosexuality seem to harbor. In all likelihood, these people did nothing heroic, moral or even voluntary. They were simply born into the majority. They deserve no kudos for resisting temptation that probably never existed. As a heterosexual I can explain how this works. During the early part of your life you are for all practical purposes asexual. Then one day interacting with the opposite sex goes from something to be avoided at all cost to something you would crawl across broken glass to do. It is as pre-programmed as right or left handedness. And speaking of which, I do happen to be left handed. Luckily, I was born at at time when we had pretty much abandoned primitive beliefs regarding lefties. By the time I went to school, even the nuns had learned to holster their rulers and not abuse those who tried to write with a naturally dominant left hand. While I'm optimistic that we will as a society become more enlightened with respect to sexuality as well, I'm saddened that so many will have to suffer in the meantime. Constance, I applaud your courage and I wish you all the best. The world owes thanks to all who fight for justice.
