Sullivan We Have a Problem

In Sullivan Indiana, senior students are preparing for the hallmarks of American life; senior pictures, graduation and prom. The prom at Sullivan High School includes a grand march, where couples are presented before the big dance.  In January a petition circulated that asked that gay couples be included in the tradition.  The request generated a case of gay panic that put Sullivan on the national stage.  A group of students began a push for a separate, more “traditional prom” in response.  It is ironic that the push for the “straights only” prom, and subsequent Facebook page, has done little more than produce a ton of dislikes and outrage.  Now the school district and residents are tripping all over themselves to create separation between the town and this sad knee jerk reaction to a few queer couples wanting to rock that Gangnam style.   

When I first heard this story I was shocked but not surprised, after all this is still the Midwest.  Perhaps it was an association of the “traditional prom” with the “whites only” vibe that initially caused my discomfort.  But it was the corn husk reality slap that stunned me.  In a time where the LGBTQ movement is moving at warp speed, incidents like this can cause major whiplash when they grab you by the ankles.  When some of us live in a state where we can get married and walk hand and hand with our significant others without causing a ruckus, we forget that the majority of America is Sullivan Indiana.  The thousands of towns and small cities that dot this nation are the true representatives of the country.  What they believe, what they think, tells us where the nation is.  And right now, the nation is a little offended about a couple of gay kids going to prom together, so offended that they need to have a “traditional prom”. 

I don’t know if the secondary prom will ever happen.  And if it does, how will they enforce the “straights only” rule?  Will there be gay screeners of sorts or bouncers mayhaps?  I think it unfortunate that Sullivan now bares a homophobic stigma.  And I am even more embarrassed to live in a state that something like this could happen in.  I hope the kids that dared to be themselves don’t let this mess ruin their big day.  If you’re in Indiana or are just a supporter of equality, write in, give money, and give time to Sullivan High’s original prom.  Make it the most AWESOME prom ever, and let the “traditional prom” be what it is going to be without the gay….lame. 

Read the original story here