The Terrebonne Parish School Board had to rethink its definition of “couple” this week when a gay student petitioned to have his male date accompany him to H.L. Bourgeois High School’s prom.
Alex Altenhein, a junior at the high school, attempted to buy couples tickets for he and his date to attend the event, but his effort was initially denied by the school’s principal Nasen Authement. Couples tickets save students about $5 compared to the price of two single’s tickets.
After Altenhein collected the signatures of 102 of his fellow schoolmates, Authement shut down his petition – a fact he does not deny. Shutting down Altenhein’s peaceable petition is not only discriminatory; it is a clear affront to the First Amendment.
Authement eventually retreated and allowed Altenhein to purchase couples’ tickets for the prom.
While Authement did not technically violate the school board’s policy regarding discrimination because “sexual orientation” is not explicitly protected in its policy, his attempt to treat gay couples differently from straight couples is, in fact, discriminatory.
The policy states “no person shall be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of any education service, program or activity on the basis of race, color, disability, religion, creed, national origin, age or sex.”
This policy needs to change to include sexual orientation as a protected social distinction.
Allowing a gay couple to attend the school’s prom is a positive step toward equal rights for all students, and it should be appreciated as such. If all students are to be encouraged to bring a date to the prom, why should gay students be treated any differently?
Allowing couples to purchase tickets at a reduced rate, however, could pose problems because it invites people to claim couple status in order to take advantage of the discount. What seems to make more sense is to have a set rate for all students – couples and singles – so no method of discrimination can be implemented. If all students pay the same price, it would also alleviate the pressure on students to rush out and find a date.
The Terrebonne Parish School Board and H.L. Bourgeois High School deserve to be commended for moving toward pure, equal civil rights for all of students. But the hesitation of principal Authement shows a mindset that could be detrimental to the students with whom he is charged with overseeing.
All students need to feel they are viewed as equals in the eyes of their administrators, regardless of their “race, color, disability, religion, creed, national origin, age or sex” – or sexuality.
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