James Craig Anderson

On June 26, a group of white teens beat and then ran James Craig Anderson over with their truck. A witness said one of the teens shouted out “White Power!” as they drove the truck over Anderson.

Obviously the teens are being charged with a hate crime.

Daryl Dedmon, 19, is one of the teens being charged with the crime after bragging to friends later that night. In his description of the events to his pals, Dedmon used racial slurs. The Southern Poverty Law Center is reportedly working with the family and their lawyer to investigate whether some of the teenagers involved may have ties to a gang with white-supremacist leanings.

And now, Anderson’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the teenagers that police say are responsible for the hate crime.

"After a night of drinking, seven white teenagers … set out on a mission to 'f--- with some n-----s' in Jackson," the lawsuit alleges.

"They found Mr. Anderson, a black man, in a parking lot in Jackson. Several teenagers took turns beating him for an extended period of time, and then one of the teenagers drove over Mr. Anderson with a Ford F-250 truck."

Ironically, under Mississippi law, Anderson’s partner of 17 years – who he was raising a 4-year old daughter with – cannot participate in the lawsuit.

As their laws do not recognize same-sex partnerships, James Bradfield and his daughter will see no justice in the brutal murder of a beloved husband and father.

Although there is currently no indication that Anderson’s sexual orientation was a factor in the crime, the case is an example of the harms that committed LGBT couples and families are vulnerable to.

Bradlee Dean

Bradlee Dean, an Annandale, Minn.-based Christian minister, used his prayer to slam President Barack Obama by implying he was not a Christian.

"I know this is a non-denominational prayer in this Chamber and it’s not about the Baptists and it’s not about the Catholics alone or the Lutherans or the Wesleyans. Or the Presbyterians the evangelicals or any other denomination, but rather the head of the denomination, and his name is Jesus.

As every President up until 2008 has acknowledged. And we pray it. In Jesus’ name," he said.

Dean, pastor of the "You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International" ministry, has advocated for imprisonment of gays and lesbians, and has said that gay men molest an average of 117 children “before they get caught,” and that Muslim nations that execute gays are more moral than American Christians.

Rep. Karen Clark (D-Minneapolis) said in a statement afterward that Dean's documented record of hate speech and his presence "reveals the underlying hateful nature of the anti-gay constitutional amendment movement."

Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers apologized for Dean's appearance and said he had failed to live up to his responsibility to uphold the "decorum and dignity" of the House.

Shortly after, Zellers issued this statement:

"I respectfully apologize to all members in the Minnesota House of Representatives and all citizens of this state for today’s morning prayer. As Speaker of the House, I take responsibility for this mistake. I am offended at the presence of Bradlee Dean on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives. I denounce him, his actions and his words. He does not represent my values or the values of this state."

Dean later said he had no intent to ostracize anybody, and disagreed with the characterization that he is "anti-gay" -- and then spoke admiringly of the time when homosexuality was illegal.

"We don't enforce those laws anymore and we wonder why we are going backwards," Dean said. "If you were to ask me my position as far as enforcing the laws of sodomy in the state of Minnesota, I would say absolutely yes. Yeah. Yeah."

A vote on the proposed ballot initiative amendment to ban same-sex marriage appeared less certain after Dean's appearance, but the House could still take up the issue Friday evening.

WLBT-TV

Coy Sheppard

In one of those seemingly never ending shake your head moments occurring more frequently these days, comes this story from Mendenhall, Miss., where a 17-year-old high school football player was kicked off his team last month, and not for the familiar reasons of his using drugs, getting caught with booze at a party or worse.

Nope. Coy Sheppard, a Mendenhall High School senior, who by the way was the star kicker for the Mendenhall Tigers until his coach booted him off the team, was summarily tossed when he came to a practice wearing pink cleats.

Now, here's the thing, this youngster had been known for his showing up and playing on the team for his career wearing different color cleats. Apparently though, the hyper-masculine head coach Chris Peterson took offense at the color selection this time round.

Sheppard tried to point out that he had worn those exact same cleats a few days before in a game -- which the coach and his staff had ridiculed him, according to Sheppard -- but Coach Peterson was having none of it.

Many youth in his position would have likely thought to only challenge the coach's decision by going to the principal and complaining. Not Sheppard, he sued him and the school officials. The reason? As it turns out, October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Coy's cleats were a gift from his 82-year-old great grandmother, a breast cancer survivor.

Commenting on the lawsuit against the Simpson County School District, deputy superintendent, Tom Duncan, insisted that Sheppard was kicked off the team for failing to follow his coaches' instructions, not for the color of the shoes. He told reporters:

"It had absolutely nothing to do with lack of support for breast cancer awareness," Duncan said.

NFL

NFL teams across the country sported pink in October to raise awareness to breast cancer.

Oh really Mr. Duncan? Apparently you didn't get the memorandum. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October was all about the color pink. All of the Major League Sports players wore pink wristbands. The NFL teams wore pink wristbands, pink-edged baseball hats, and, get this Mr. Duncan and Coach Peterson, in some cases, pink cleats.

In defense of his son, Joey Sheppard told a local reporter for WAPT-TV that he understood not being disrespectful of Coach Peterson's authority:

"I do understand and we don't condone being disrespectful to the coaches, but he was standing up for what he thought was right. ... he's had five or six different colored shoes throughout his last two years of kicking for Mendenhall and when he got the pink shoes that's when it became an issue. I think it is the pink shoes."

Yes Mr. Sheppard, I'd say so, after all, this is Mississippi where just last week 12-year-old Randi Foster was beaten because she has a boy's name. Then too this is the state where Constance McMillen wasn't allowed to take her same sex gender date to her high school prom and where young Ceara Sturgis was told she couldn't wear her tuxedo for her senior portrait.

Pink Shoes? Oh you just know what was running through the minds of Peterson and his coaching staff.

Of course, they'll deny that a homophobic reaction had any thing to do with their decision... yeah, right.

When the story made national headlines, Oliver Diaz, Sheppard's lawyer and a former Mississippi state Supreme Court justice told reporters, "I wish it could have been handled differently, where there could have been some compromise, I think all the kid wants is to play football and finish out the year."

All the kid wanted to do was play football, Okay.

What is telling about the character of this young man was that in the lawsuit he filed all he demanded was that he received official reinstatement on the team, his personal record to be cleared, and then Sheppard specified that any monetary damages or donations to go straight to the American Cancer Society. This kid's a class act and a definite role model in my book.

The story has a positive outcome for young Sheppard, who on Thursday agreed to withdraw his suit after school officials apparently relented.

"The school district recognized mistakes were made and we were able to get the best results for everybody," his attorney, Oliver Diaz, told WAPT-TV. "In the process, we were able to raise awareness about breast cancer campaigns. It's a win for everybody."

Diaz said the player's family has agreed to drop a lawsuit filed against the coach, principal and the school system under the condition that Sheppard returns to the team with the same standing he had before the incident.

Same standing? Maybe, but then again this incident speaks volumes about this charming attitude that is prevalent not only in just Mississippi, but across the entire American landscape.

LGBT youth in the United States are killing themselves in alarming and increasing numbers and here's a straight kid who is victimized by the same cultural pressures and nonsense responsible for those deaths.

I wonder how long its going to take for Americans to get the message?

Constance McMillen

Constance McMillen, a Mississippi teen who sued her school for canceling the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend, will be the subject of a made-for-TV movie.

Diane Morgan, spokeswoman for ABC Family, confirmed this week that the cable channel was developing a movie about the 18-year-old's life but would not discuss details.

“It is a project that is in the very early stages at ABC Family,” Morgan said.

McMillen, made national headlines earlier this year when she sued the Itawamba County School District in northeast Mississippi after her high school principal refused to allow her to bring her girlfriend as her date to the school-sponsored prom. Her request to be allowed to wear a tuxedo to the dance was also denied.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, McMillen appeared on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show", where she was presented her with a $30,000 college scholarship check.

Days later, U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled in McMillen’s favor, saying her First Amendment rights were violated, but stopped short of ordering the school district to reinstate the prom.

Eventually, McMillen attended a senior prom in April 2, but claimed that she was sent to a “fake prom” while the rest of her class partied at a secret location at an event organized by parents behind her back. The prom she was invited to attracted only five other students.

In June, McMillen served as a grand marshal in the New York City Gay Pride, and in July, the school district settled the suit, agreeing to pay her $35,000 in damages plus attorneys fees but admitted no wrong-doing.

Ghost Whisperer creator John Gray has been tapped to write and direct the film, according to ABC Family.

McMillen

Itawamba County School District officials agreed to have a judgment entered against them in the case of 18-year-old Constance McMillen, who sued her school for canceling the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend.

The agreement ends a precedent-setting lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of McMillen, who suffered humiliation and harassment after parents, students and school officials executed a plan to put on a "decoy" prom for her while the rest of her classmates were at a private prom 30 miles away.

"I'm so glad this is all over. I won't ever get my prom back, but it's worth it if it changes things at my school," said McMillen, who was harassed so badly by students blaming her for the prom cancellation that she had to transfer to another high school to finish her senior year.

"I hope this means that in the future students at my school will be treated fairly. I know there are students and teachers who want to start a gay-straight alliance club, and they should be able to do that without being treated like I was by the school."

According to court documents, school officials agreed to implement a policy banning discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, the first policy to do so at a public school in the state of Mississippi.

The school also agreed to pay McMillen $35,000 in damages and pay for McMillen's attorneys' fees.

"We hope this judgment sends a message to schools that they cannot get away with discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. LGBT youth just want to be treated like their peers and do all the normal high school things, like going to the prom with the date they choose," said Bear Atwood, Interim Legal Director at the ACLU of Mississippi.

According to the Advocate, the Tupelo, Miss. event, scheduled for May 8, is being organized by the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition and is open to all students, regardless of sexual orientation.

The prom is an annual event, but this year it has drawn national attention because of the case of Constance McMillen, a high school senior who challenged her school district's rule banning same-sex dates at proms.

Last month, the Itawamba County School District refused to allow McMillen, 18, to bring a female date to her high school prom and then canceled the event.

She went to federal court, and a judge ruled the district had violated her civil rights, but he did not order the district to hold the prom, because a parent-sponsored event was being scheduled away from the school.

However, McMillen said that the parent-organized prom happened behind her back, and on April 2 she and her date were sent to to a “fake prom” that attracted only five other students.

The American Humanist Association also will contribute $20,000 for the May 8 event in Tupelo.

McMillen

But to avoid McMillen bringing a female date to her prom, she was sent to a "fake prom" while the rest of her class partied at a secret location at an event organized by parents.

McMillen tells The Advocate that a parent-organized prom happened behind her back, and she and her date were sent to a different event that attracted only five other students.

"They had two proms and I was only invited to one of them," McMillen says. "The one that I went to had seven people there, and everyone went to the other one I wasn’t invited to."

McMillen said she knew there was another event in the works and she has seen several pictures from the party on Facebook.

Last month, the Itawamba County School District refused to allow McMillen to bring a female date to her high school prom and then canceled the event.

She went to federal court, and a judge ruled the district had violated her civil rights, but he did not order the district to hold the prom, because a parent-sponsored event was being scheduled away from the school.

Kristy Bennett, ACLU Mississippi legal director, told the Associated Press that they "we're investigating if the prom at the country club was a sham or a decoy."

McMillen

But the judge stopped short of forcing Itawamba Agricultural High School to reinstate the April 2 prom, which it canceled two weeks ago rather than allow Constance McMillen attend the attend the dance with her girlfriend, reports CNN.

In his 12-page order, U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled that McMillen's First Amendment rights were violated when the school refused to allow her to attend her with a same-sex date.

"The record shows Constance has been openly gay since eighth grade and she intended to communicate a message by wearing a tuxedo and to express her identity through attending prom with a same-sex date," Davidson wrote.

"The court finds this expression and communication of her viewpoint is the type of speech that falls squarely within the purview of the First Amendment."

Davidson denied a motion for an injunction filed by the ACLU on behalf of McMillen, asking the court to order that the prom be reinstated, saying that parents were planning a private event to be held on that date for all students.

The parent-sponsored event, which may be called a ball instead of a prom, is to be held in Tupelo, 19 miles away, but the ACLU said McMillen had not received an invitation.

At the center of the lawsuit is a February 5 memorandum from the school to students that said prom dates must be of the opposite sex.

DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres presented a $30,000 scholarship on behalf of Tonic.com Friday to a teenage lesbian whose high school prom was canceled when she asked to attend with a girl.

Constance McMillen, 18, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about her experience and at the end of the segment DeGeneres, who is a lesbian, presented her with the check to be used toward her college education.

"I admire you so much," DeGeneres told the high school senior from Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, MS.

"When I was your age I never would have had the strength to do what you are doing."

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit against the school after the school district decided to cancel this year’s prom rather than allow McMillen attend the dance with her girlfriend. McMillen also had asked to wear a tuxedo to the prom, but was told by the school that girls must wear gowns.

DeGeneres said she had offered to pay for a private prom for McMillen and her classmates, but McMillen said she wanted the school district to hold the dance.

The scholarship came from funds raised on Tonic.com and through an anonymous donor, as well as the website's founder.

Tonic also offered McMillen an internship, but no word yet whether McMillen has accepted the offer.

Here's a clip from Friday's Ellen broadcast:

McMillen

At the center of the lawsuit is a memorandum from the school that was circulated to students on February 5, which stated that prom dates must be of the opposite sex.

School officials told Constance McMillen, 18, last month that she could not bring her sophomore girlfriend to the prom and also told her she could not wear a tuxedo, according to court documents.

When the ACLU got involved (PDF), pointing out the discrimination issue, the school district cited "distractions to the educational process" and canceled the prom for all students.

"All I wanted was the same chance to enjoy my prom night like any other student. But my school would rather hurt all the students than treat everyone fairly," said the student, 18-year-old Constance McMillen, in an ACLU news release.

"This isn't just about me and my rights anymore -- now I'm fighting for the right of all the students at my school to have our prom."

Superintendent Teresa McNeece also told McMillen that she and her girlfriend could be ejected from the prom if any of the other students complained about their presence there, according to court documents.

The ACLU claims that Constance McMillen's First Amendment right to freely express herself was taken away, and is asking that the U.S. District Court have the school's prom reinstated.

The group also charged the school district with violating Constance McMillen's first amendment rights.

McMillen
(Family photo via ACLU Mississippi)

A Mississippi high school has called off the annual senior prom after a lesbian student demanded she be allowed to bring her girlfriend.

The Itawamba County school board announced Wednesday it would cancel the Itawamba County Agricultural High School prom, after the ACLU demanded the district change its policy requiring only opposite-sex prom dates.

"Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year," school board members said in a statement released through the district’s attorney. "It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes anyone," the message concluded.

School officials told Constance McMillen, 18, last month that she could not bring her sophomore girlfriend to the prom and also told her she could not wear a tuxedo.

McMillen contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, which earlier this month issued a letter (PDF) demanding the school change its policy.

The letter gave the district until today to decide on a course of action.

The ACLU said it receives up to 10 complaints a year from gay and lesbian students who feel they’ve been discriminated against.

The issue is now a topic on Capitol Hill. U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., has introduced federal legislation making discrimination in schools based on sexual orientation illegal.

More at the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

According to Ceara Sturgis, 17, an honor student, trumpet player and soccer goalie for Wesson Attendance Center, school officials have barred her from wearing a tuxedo in her 2009-10 yearbook photo.

Ceara said when she submitted her request, school officials balked, informing her it is "school tradition" for females to wear elaborate dresses or gowns and for males to wear the tuxedos.

Now, Sturgis is fighting back, along with her mother Veronica Rodriguez and the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi.

"I feel like I'm not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don't even care about me," Sturgis said in a statement. "All I want is to be able to be me, and to be included in the yearbook."

The ACLU issued a demand letter to Principal Ronald Greet to publish a picture of Sturgis in a tuxedo. The civil rights organization said its giving the school until Oct. 23 to respond before pursuing court action.

More on the story from The Associated Press.