Film to be made about lesbian teenager barred from prom
Constance McMillen, the lesbian teenager who was barred from taking her girlfriend to prom, is to be the subject of a TV film.
The 18-year-old, from Mississippi, made news around the world when she launched a lawsuit for discrimination against her school earlier this year.
Cable channel ABC Family now wants to turn her story into a film for TV.
A company spokeswoman told the Clarion-Ledger that the project was in “very early stages” and Ghost Whisperer creator John Gray has been asked to write and direct.
Ms McMillen has not commented but her lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, Christine Sun, said the film could give hope and support to other gay teenagers.
The student was told by Itawamba Agricultural High School last March that she could not attend prom with her girlfriend and was not allowed to wear a tuxedo.
When she filed a lawsuit, the school cancelled the event rather than allow her to attend in the same way as any other student.
The school later agreed to hold an inclusive prom, but Ms McMillen arrived to discover she had been invited to a fake event, while her heterosexual classmates were enjoying a private event in another location.
In July, she won $35,000 in damages, plus an agreement from Itawamba County School District to implement anti-discrimination policies. The school did not admit wrongdoing.
