During her show, Ellen DeGeneres presents Constance McMillen, a gay teenage girl, with 30,000 dollars college scholarship check for her bravery to stand for her rights.
- Mar 20, 2010
AceShowbiz - Ellen DeGeneres has shown her support for a gay teenage girl named Constance McMillen who recently made headlines after asking Itawamba County school board to allow her to come to senior prom wearing a tux and take her girlfriend to the party. Admiring her courage to stand for her rights, Ellen, who is also lesbian, presented her with $30,000 college scholarship check from the website Tonic.
During "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", the 52-year-old TV host explained, "It's always easy to be quiet. Especially when you know that somebody might tell you no or it's going to cause a scene." She added, "I love that you're not trying to do anything other than go to prom. That's what everyone deserves to do. Go to prom, it's a big deal."
"I just admire you so much," the "American Idol" judge further told Constance who revealed that she just wanted to go to the dance since she has "never known what prom was." Ellen has so much respect for the 18-year-old girl admitting that when she was her age, she "never would have had the strength" to do the exact thing she did, adding "So just being yourself and doing what's right, you're going to make a lot of change."
Constance McMillen herself became well known over her prom request which led into a cancellation of her April 2 high school dance, after she refused to obey an order given by her school board. The committee allowed her to go to the party only if she and her girlfriend went separately and banned the two from dancing or holding hands.
Furthermore, the American Civil Liberties Union has sued the school on Constance's behalf for alleged violations of her First Amendment right to freedom of expression.
