GREG IN HOLLYWOOD

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Greg In Hollywood chats with Constance McMillen, the Mississippi teen fighting to take her girlfriend to her prom

2010 GLAAD Media Awards by you.This girl is a real hero and I was so happy to have the chance to talk to her at the GLAAD Media Awards.

Constance McMillen is just 16 and her world was turned upside down because she wants to take her girlfriend to her prom. She prevailed in a legal battle but her Mississippi school decided to cancel the prom for everyone rather than have a lesbian couple on the dance floor. Then parents threw a private prom and did not include Constance.

She’s far more mature than these parents and school officials who are a disgrace.

But lemonade is being made out of lemons for this well-spoken high school student. She’s appeared on the talk shows of both Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes, been celebrated by the LGBT community and will attend an inclusive prom on May 8 that being supported by former N Sync member Lance Bass, celebrity chef Cat Cora and members of Green Day.

“I’m very excited and I am going,” Constance said. “I think all of the celebrities coming together to help and donate and show their support is really amazing.”

I wondered how she is dealing with all of this newfound fame.

“All the good attention is great, it’s really surreal,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine that something like this would go this far. It’s really overwhelming and it’s hard to even believe because it’s so amazing.”

Here is some of our chat:

Q. Has the way that you’ve been embraced outweighed the way the people have acted in your home town?
A. “Definitely. I have had way more support. My hometown is horrible – the [lack of] support that they’ve shown is horrible. But from across the world, it’s absolutely amazing how much support I’ve had. That’s really what keeps me going.”

Q. Where did you get the guts to stand up this way?
A. “My family has always taught me to stand up for what I believe in. If I feel in my heart that something’s right, then that’s what I’m gonna do and if I feel that something is wrong, then I’m going to stand up against it. That’s what I’ve tried to do from the git-go.”

Q. Do you plan to continue to be an activist?

A. “I hope to be an activist because I think it’s important to make change and I realize how important it is to make change for other people.”

Comments

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One Remark

  1. So, is Constance 16 or 18 years old? I seem to recall that on Ellen she claimed to be the latter.

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