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Long Island Catholic School Bans Gay Couples From Prom
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 13, 2011
Modified May 13, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 13, 2011
Modified May 13, 2011
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While a gay student was voted Prom King in Pennsylvania last weekend, some NYC-area schools are still uncomfortable with allowing same-sex couples to attend prom together. St. Anthony's Catholic High School in Long Island has barred a lesbian student from bringing her ex-girlfriend to prom as her date. "We thought it would send a mixed message to OK her request," Brother Gary Cregan, principal of the school, told MSNBC.
Angelina Lange went so far as to request permission from officials at the co-ed, Roman Catholic school in South Huntington, but Cregan explained: "Our Catholic faith specifies that marriage involve a man and a woman, and our policies on dating must reflect that. We mean no malice or disrespect." You can read a long, in-depth article about the whole situation at the Long Island Press.
Ultimately, the private school does have the authority to enforce its own restrictions on school events (although one could question why taxpayers fund private Catholic schools at all), and Lange has accepted their decision, but gay rights activist James Fallarino called the school's decision a form of "bullying." "The message is that the school doesn't really care about its students and that's not a good message," said Fallarino, of the Long Island Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Services Network.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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