Gays should also be included in the celebration of diversity
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March 26, 2010
Nikki Bowser
In some urban areas of America, it is easy to see progression as times change. However, in other areas it is easy to see communities rooted firmly in the past, unwilling to accept change.
One such area is Itawamba County in Mississippi, where “gay” is still a dirty word despite legislation allowing same sex marriage in states such as Connecticut and Iowa.
After a student requested permission to bring her girlfriend as her prom date, a public school in Itawamba County, Mississippi cancelled the dance altogether. The district has been urged by the ACLU to change its rule requiring dance dates to be of the opposite sex, but rather than amend the rules to fit the changing times it seems the school found it easier to cancel the dance entirely.
Initially, school officials told the student, Constance McMillen, that she would not be allowed to wear a tuxedo or arrive at the dance with her girlfriend. She was also told that if she and her girlfriend made anyone feel uncomfortable they would be asked to leave. Is the county so old fashioned that residents would blush at the sight of two girls holding hands or, dare I say, slow dancing?
Many students were disappointed, but it seems few were surprised by the school’s decision to cancel the prom following the request (the school board cited “distractions” as the reason, never directly mentioning McMillen). The area is often referred to as the “Bible Belt.” The school district is sending a message that homosexuality is wrong, a view that many claim is supported by the Bible. As a public school, shouldn’t the board exclude religion as a factor when making decisions and enforcing rules?
According to the 2000 census, over four million people in the U.S. identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. None of these four million could attend a dance in Itawamba County with a gay date. They couldn’t even attend a dance at Hoban – a school that “celebrates diversity and values each person, welcoming others with the hospitality of Christ.” Page 49 of Hoban’s student handbook defines a dance date as specifically of the opposite sex. Do we value each person as long as the person isn’t gay? I sincerely doubt the administration would discriminate against interracial dance dates, but I don’t see much difference between these two types of discrimination.
The difference between McMillen’s school and Hoban is that Hoban is a private school: we pay money to go here, we follow Hoban’s rules, and if we don’t like them we can leave. Students attending the public school in Itawamba County don’t necessarily have this option.
In 2008, California passed Proposition 8, an amendment to California’s State Constitution which restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples and overturned the California Supreme Court’s ruling which said that same-sex couples have the Constitutional right to marry.
Why should the right to marry be reserved to opposite-sex couples? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the church maintains that it opposes the act of homosexuality because it is “intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law.”
Rather than risk discouraging benefactors from making future donations by advocating gay marriage in the Catholic Church, a la my Obama column, I am merely advocating civil unions among gay couples, which I believe is something everyone is entitled to, gay or straight.
5 Responses to “Gays should also be included in the celebration of diversity”
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March 29th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I think that Hoban’s different sex date policy is stupid for many reasons. First off not everyone at Hoban is Catholic so that means different people see that issue differently. Second, what if a girl wanted to take just a friend to the dance that didn’t go to Hoban? Wouldn’t be a “date”. Third is the reason stated in the article, Hoban is supposed to be about diversity. In an ever changing society I think that Hoban should change as well even if it may be the Catholic belief that homosexuality is bad. I say leave it up to the student and their family. If it was against their own beliefs they wouldn’t ask anyways. Otherwise the mission statement should be changed to we accept all with the hospitality of Christ….. except those who are homosexual.
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March 31st, 2010 at 6:06 pm
To above comment:
Unsure if I agree with the policy but Hoban is a Catholic school so saying that not everyone is Catholic doesn’t matter because by choosing to go to Hoban, you choose to follow Hoban’s rules which are based on the Church.
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April 2nd, 2010 at 10:23 am
To clarify, the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not advocate discrimination of homosexuals: Article 2358 states, “They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” Article 2359 states, “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.”
The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, …will inherit the kingdom of God.” Also see Romans 1:24-26.
God knows what is best for us and He gave us a Church to help guide us to the Kingdom of God. It is one thing to love and respect the homosexual but a totally different thing to condone or encourage sinful behavior. We are called to help others overcome their sin, not promote others to engage in sin, otherwise we are complicit in that sin. There is a radical pro-homosexual agenda in this country that goes totally against the Christian ideal proclaimed by Christ. There must be strong havens of truth and Christian values where we can be reminded and nurtured with God’s teachings and plans for our lives. As a Catholic institution, Hoban is called to love everyone but not to condone sinful behavior. A homosexual is welcome to participate in any event sponsored by the school but it cannot allow the gay person to act on those feelings. “Diversity” is a word used frequently to imply that we are to accept everyone and everything, regardless of values and morality. As Christians, we celebrate diversity but have to draw the line at immoral behavior. Love the sinner, not the sin.
As a Catholic school, we follow the teachings of the Church, as God calls us to do.
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April 20th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Janice your reply which outlined the Church’s teaching on homosexuality was eloquently presented. LIke any single, unmarried person gays are called to celibacy. A Catholic school cannot in good conscience go against the teachings of the Church by promoting same sex dating. If they were to do so they would lose Catholics and the school would become heretical.
The Church is called to evangilization hence those non-Catholic students attending Hoban are hoped to convert to the Church after exposure to its teachings. The Church will ever “change with the times” as its mission is timeless Truth not assimilation to current fads or societal “progression.”
Marriage is defined as a covenant between a man and a woman- the first being Adam & Eve; the two become one flesh in Christ. Gay marriage is an oxymoron in light of its original biblical meaning.
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April 30th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Following the church teaching–since high school students are single they should be celibate –whether heterosexual, homosexual and there are those who may truly not know or be identified as anything. I am not sure what the policy is. However, it does seem that someone could be allowed to bring a friend of the same sex to just simply enjoy the activity without being left out. The comment about a friend from another school confused me. Not sure where the line is drawn. Girls have been dancing with each other forever as they tend to learn to dance and enjoy dancing often more than boys.
Strangely many of the Catholic schools seemed to be so strict on things–that some students were denied an opportunity to go the prom alone if they wanted. Whereas in many public schools they were doing just that.
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