I refrain from posting this in GD because I don’t really want to start a discussion on the implications of it, but…
Do public schools have the right to refuse admission to school-sponsored activities to gay couples? More specifically, to a prom or something similar?
I don’t think they do, but I’m trying to make sure before I go out of my way to make plans.
Thanks!
Well, once again I am useless (as I teach in a private, not public, school). I can tell you that we do prohibit such things at my school. I would guess (though I have no hard facts) that a public school may be restricted as to what they can prohibit.
Aha! A question I know something about. This is a much-debated issue, and same-sex high school couples have gone to court in a number of cases to fight for their right to party just like straight people (though why anyone would want to party like a straight person, I don’t know). Basically, it probably boils down to whether the public accomodations law in your area covers sexual orientation. If it does, the law’s probably on your side. Even if it doesn’t, there’s still a good chance (lotta legal precedent for it.) However, keep in mind that if you do wanna go for it, there’s a chance it may be a long & rocky ride…to find out whether the public accomodations law applies, you should probably contact a nat’l gay-rights org like National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. More power to you!
It depends on the school.
At my high school their solution was to simply not have a couples ticket because two people of the same gender (not necessarily same sex couples) were buying couples tickets to save money.
When I was in school, a close friend of mine was a lesbian, and she brought her girlfriend to our grad dance. All grads were given free tickets, but if you wanted to bring somebody who was not in our year or who went to a different school or something, you had to purchase an extra ticket. She bought a ticket for her girlfriend, who was finished school. We didn’t see the ned to tell the people selling the tickets that they were a couple, so the ticket was bought, no questions asked, and the couple attended the grad dance, end of story. They were quite couple-y at the dance too, holding hands and kissing, and nobody (students or teachers) gave any of us any trouble.
This was years ago in a public school in the Canadian Prairies, an area that many Americans and fellow Canadians feel to be a backwater hole, so I am always amazed when I hear that this is a problem in large American cities. I never understood what the big deal was.
At my high school, it was actually pretty common for two or more guys to go to a dance as “dates”, if they couldn’t get female dates (this was an all-guys school, so any females had to come elsewhence). Interestingly, nobody ever saw anything wrong with this, and it wasn’t considered “gay” by the other guys. In my experience, we never had any such male-male “couples” behaving romantically at a dance, so I’m not sure what the reaction would have been.
In my high school there were plenty of gay couples going to dances and nobody gave it a second thought.
Doesn’t say much about your high school though. Every place is different, but I hope that they are understanding about it.
Do you know why this policy exists? I’m just wondering.
Curious… are there any unisex public schools? I thought that since a public school is run by the government, they had to adhere to policies such as non-gender discrimination.
Now I’m all curious about everything… 
Suffice it to say, I think we’re going to the prom.
Since you asked…
The policy exists because it’s a Catholic school. Such a date would therefore be contrary to certain beliefs that the school espouses.
I have a sinking feeling that this will now become a “bash the closed-minded Catholics” thread, but that is, after all, the reason for the policy. (Do we have gay students? Yes. However, they are not permitted to bring a same-sex date to a school-sanctioned function.)
Fair enough.
I hope you weren’t trying to imply that I’d spearhead this movement. On the contrary, if I wanted to “bash a closed-minded Catholic,” I’d open this topic in GD.
I waive that opportunity.
Oh, no, I really wasn’t implying that anyone in particular would be the basher, just that Catholics would be the bash-ees.
I know that wasn’t your intention, as this is a general question, not a debate or a religious discussion.
Though I’m fine with my school’s policies, I hope you attend (and have fun at) your prom with the date you choose.
Heh… if that arises, be sure to let me know and I’ll come over pro-Catholic. 
Thanks-- we appreciate that, and we will -=)