Having lived in Alabama a number of years ago and last traveled through the state while on the Hurricane Katrina evacuee retrieval trip, this ruling by an Alabama Circuit Court judge is pretty amazing. After passing through the state after Katrina, I though that if anything, the state had regressed from where it had been in 1977-1981 and made Virginia look down right LGBT welcoming. True, the law was in support of the judge's ruling, but for such a ruling to be issued in Scottsboro - as opposed to Mobile or Birmingham - is most surprising. Here are some highlights from 365gay.com (http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/03/033108apro.htm):
(Scottsboro, Alabama) Lauren Martin and girlfriend Chelsea Overstreet danced the night way on Saturday, but their big prom night at Scottsboro High School almost didn't happen. Overstreet, 17, a junior, and Martin, 16, a sophomore at the school, were told by the school they could not go to the prom as a couple. With the help of attorney Parker Edmiston, they went to court.
On Saturday, just hours before the big dance, Circuit Judge John Graham of Stevenson issued an order prohibiting the school barring the teens. Graham citied the 1984 federal Equal Access law which has been successfully used to fight on behalf of LGBT student groups.
Both parents said the girls would not be speaking with reporters, and the media was not allowed into the prom. But teens who were at the event said that Overstreet wore her prom dress while Martin wore a tuxedo.
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