Student at center of same-sex prom date policy change says he wanted to help people

When most students think about going to prom, their thoughts may turn to getting the right tuxedo or dress and deciding who they want to go with. But when Stacy Dawson, an openly gay senior at Scott County Central High School near Sikeston, Mo., told a school administrator in September who he wanted to take to the prom, he set off a controversy at a school better known for its basketball prowess than being a site for social change.

"I told the administrator I wanted to bring a same-sex date," said Dawson, 17. "The administrator seemed OK with it, but the school handbook didn't allow it."

The policy in the Scott County Central School District student handbook regarding dates to the prom or other dances instructs that "high school students will be permitted to invite one guest, girls invite boys and boys invite girls."

Dawson was told by the administrator that the school board would be asked about his request. A week later he learned that the board would not allow him to bring another boy to the prom.

According to Dawson, the school board based its decision on the amount of time it would take to change the policy.

"They said it would take awhile," he said. "They said in the time it would take for them to change the policy, I would have already graduated."

Instead of giving up, Dawson went to the Internet to seek advice.

"I found message boards where I talked about what was happening," he said. "I was looking for advice on what to do next, and one poster said I should contact the Southern Poverty Law Center."

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala., is a not-for-profit legal organization that has fought for the civil rights of Americans since its founding in 1971. The law center is best known for its work in bringing to justice white-supremacist groups who attack minorities, but it also takes on cases involving gays and lesbians who feel they are being unjustly discriminated against.

After Dawson contacted the law center, he was put in touch with one of its lawyers, Alesdair Ittelson.

"When Stacy did his research and contacted us, we were happy to help him," Ittelson said. "He made it clear that the issue wasn't about him but about the others who may follow in his footsteps. The SPLC took him on as a client free of charge."

Dawson discussed with Ittelson the policy, which Ittelson believed to violate Dawson's First Amendment rights to freely express his sexual orientation. Ittelson also recalled what Dawson asked him before any action was taken by the law center.

"Stacy asked me if we would see this thing through, and I told him we weren't going away until the policy had been officially changed," Ittelson said. "That seemed to go over well with him."

The next step was a letter sent by Ittelson to the district's administration on Dawson's behalf, which threatened legal action and cited several First Amendment cases regarding the right to free expression by students. The letter also outlined a recent Mississippi case in which the right to bring a same-sex date to a prom was upheld in federal court, and also was notable for the damages the school district had to pay in trying to keep the same-sex couple from attending the prom.

"When we presented our legal argument to the school officials in the letter, it's likely they saw the writing on the wall," Ittelson said.

The action taken by the Southern Poverty Law Center worked to Dawson's satisfaction, as it was announced last month that he would be allowed to bring another boy to the prom in April.

"It's never been about me," Dawson said. "I've always thought about others who have gone through the same thing while they were a student but couldn't do anything about it. I don't want anyone to go through something they don't have to. High school is tough enough."

Dawson added that his classmates have been mostly supportive.

"There's been some name-calling, but I try to not let it sink in," he said. "Some teachers have shown support while others have been neutral, but there's been no negativity from them."

Al McFerren, superintendent of Scott County Central School District, said the handbook policy that kept Dawson from bringing his date to the prom was never intended to be discriminatory.

"The intent of the handbook policy was to stop students from cheating on the entry cost of prom and other dances by going as a couple," McFerren said. "It's a way for them to save a few bucks since the couples' rate is less expensive than going single."

McFerren said he hopes Dawson has a good time at the prom.

"Stacy has never been a problem, as far as I know," he said. "I'm sorry that things got out of hand the way they did."

Ittelson said Dawson will remain a client of the law center until the policy regarding dates at Scott County Central's prom and dances has been officially changed, which may come during a school board meeting March 11.

When asked if he viewed himself as brave, Dawson said he didn't think so,

"In this case I can see how others might think that," he said. "I don't want people to look at me as some kind of amazing person. All I wanted to do is help people who might have the same problem."

klewis@semissourian.com

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