Archives for March 2010

This is the ruling i posted on this case earlier. Due to the nature of the PDF, it was unsutable for translation, but if you want the original pdf, it can be found

here

this stories original source is

here.

Judge rules lesbian high-schooler’s First Amendment rights violated

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 23, 2010 6:32 p.m. EDT

Constance McMillen said she was told not to take her girlfriend to the prom or wear a tuxedo.

(CNN) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a lesbian high school student’s First Amendment rights were violated when school officials told her she could not attend her prom with her girlfriend, but also ruled that he would not order the school district to hold the event.

In his 12-page order, U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled that Itawamba Agricultural High School’s denial of 18-year-old Constance McMillen’s request to wear a tuxedo to her prom was also a violation of her rights. “The record shows Constance has been openly gay since eighth grade and she intended to communicate a message by wearing a tuxedo and to express her identity through attending prom with a same-sex date,” Davidson wrote.

“The court finds this expression and communication of her viewpoint is the type of speech that falls squarely within the purview of the First Amendment.”

When officials at the school in Fulton, Mississippi, told McMillen she could not take her girlfriend to the prom or wear a tuxedo at the event, the senior went to the American Civil Liberties Union, which demanded the school change its policy. In response, the Itawamba County School District canceled the prom.

But Davidson denied a motion for an injunction filed by McMillen against the school district’s superintendent, the school’s principal and its assistant principal asking the court to order that the prom be reinstated.

“Defendants testified that a parent-sponsored prom, which is open to all IAHS students, has been planned and is scheduled for April 2, 2010,” Davidson wrote. “Though the details of the ‘private’ prom are unknown to the court, defendants have made representations, upon which this court relies, that all IAHS students, including the plaintiff, are welcome and encouraged to attend.”

Requiring school officials “to step back into a sponsorship role at this late date would only confuse and confound the community on the issue. Parents have taken the initiative to plan and pay for a ‘private’ prom for the juniors and seniors of IAHS and to now require defendants to host one as it had originally planned would defeat the purpose and efforts of those individuals.”

He added that issuing an injunction “would be disruptive to the efforts of the community and would not be in the public’s interest.”

Still, the ACLU called the decision a victory.

“It vindicates Constance’s rights,” said Christine Sun, senior counsel with the ACLU’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender project. “It sets a legal precedent for gay and lesbian students all over the country that they have the right to bring a same-sex date to the prom and also to wear gender-nonconforming clothes to the prom. We were looking for a ruling that what the school did was violate her rights.”

School board attorney Michele Floyd said the school district was also pleased with the decision.

She said the parent-sponsored event, which may be called a ball instead of a prom, is to be held on April 2 in Tupelo, 19 miles away.

But the ACLU’s Sun said McMillen had not received an invitation. “We haven’t heard anything about this private prom other than what this school district has told us,” she said. “It remains to be seen whether she will be able to attend the private prom.”

The case is going forward on a damages claim and the ACLU’s request for attorneys’ fees, she said. “She got what she wanted, and now it’s just a question of what the damages might be in her case.”

“I never thought the school would try to cancel the prom and hurt everyone just to keep me and my girlfriend from going together,” McMillen said last week in an ACLU news release. “A lot of people have made really generous offers to pay for a prom somewhere else, which I really appreciate. But all I’ve ever wanted was to be able to just go to my own school’s prom with my girlfriend.”

At the center of the lawsuit is a February 5 memorandum from the school to students that said prom dates must be of the opposite sex.

Superintendent Teresa McNeece also told McMillen that she and her girlfriend could be ejected from the prom if other students complained about their presence, according to the documents.

with that. i shall post something later.

Mirrored from shane's rants!.

I get these by e-mail on a daily bases, and feel that this one holds special meaning, especially for me.

“Doing Right Things for Wrong Reasons”

“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1

This is one of those places in the Bible that should carry a warning label, “Beware: Tough Love Ahead.” On the one hand, Jesus encourages me to help others, and perform “random acts of kindness;” on the other, I feel like He is beating me up because doing good deeds makes me feel so good that I want to do it over and over again. How do I balance the command to do good works with doing those things for all the right reasons? Aren’t you just a little bit motivated to do it again when someone else recognizes you for your good deeds? Yeah, unfortunately, so am I.

As we tackle Matthew 6, there are two words which need our attention.

1. Seen, v. 1 – The Greek word looks like this: “theatomi.” Carve out the first five letters and what English word/s does it look like? If you said “theater,” or “theatrical” you would be correct! It is warning us not to be like an actor on a stage as if we are putting on an exhibition.

2. Hypocrite, vv. 2, 5, 16 – In classical Greek, it was used to refer to an actor on a stage that masks his real identity and assumes a role. This person plays a part that isn’t the truth about his life. He assumes an identity which is other than genuine.

A school was recently in the news because an anonymous donor donated a gift of millions of dollars. Is that what Jesus meant by “so that your giving may be done in secret?” Yes! But the Jews sounded the trumpets so that everyone would know when they practiced their alms-giving. You and I know that hypocrisy exists everywhere, in our families, among our neighbors, in congress, and even among the most religious people we know. It is hypocritical to live a phony lifestyle, pretending to be one thing, but deep down where no one sees but you and God there is something else going on. When this hypocrisy doctrine was put into practice in the fledgling church (Acts 5) it reflected the serious relationship between our giving habits and God’s intolerance of our hypocritical ways. Ananias and Sapphira pretended to give a certain amount to the fellowship, but they had actually held back a portion for themselves. Nothing would have been wrong with keeping something for themselves had they not lied about it. But their phony commitment ended in their deaths.

Beloved, this is not just about our money. Jesus encourages us to practice good stewardship of all our resources: money, talents, spiritual gifts, time, etc. And He wants others to see and notice that someone cares enough about their needs to give sacrificially. But our generosity should be practiced so that the world will glorify God, not that they will be impressed with us! If we give because we desire the praise of man, our hypocritical motive will result in the fleeting satisfaction that someone noticed. But if we are stripped of phony, self-righteousness in our lifestyle, our eternal reward will far outlive the applause of the world.

GospeLines Prayer: Father, as a writer, show me the difference between being motivated by hypocrisy and having the desire to hear words of encouragement from the audience. I disdain the thought of seeking the praise of the world, but when I get feedback from readers, I know that I have at least scratched where it itches instead of being a constant irritation that will only alienate a fragile Christian. Give me greater patience and love for those who join me in this struggle to distance ourselves from phony living and counterfeit Christianity. Amen and amen.

I hope this was as inspiring to you as it was to me.

Take care and I shall post another time.

Mirrored from shane's rants!.

thanks to karrie for this

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90′s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940′s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. ‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated’.

‘Oh, you’re such a good boy’, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’

‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly.

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice’. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in soft voice, ‘The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a young girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now.’ We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. ‘How much do I owe you?’ she asked, reaching into her purse. ‘Nothing,’ I said.

‘You have to make a living,’ she answered. ‘There will be other passengers,’ I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. ‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ I said as I squeezed her hand, and they walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.. I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments, but great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL. Random acts of kindness benefit all of us. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Mirrored from shane's rants!.