Extra+Credit+Rachel

**The Journey of a Gay Teen - Mixed criticism ** ** Source: //CNN Living - [|Gay teen in prom case feels ostracized locally, celebrated nationally] // **

The teen culture of today is changing at a rapid pace, and it seems the gap between our generation and our parents' generation is expanding dramatically. Constance McMillen, a lesbian teen attending school in Fulton, Mississippi, found out how badly one can be burned in this society.

When she asked her school faculty if it would be acceptable for her to wear a tuxedo and bring her girlfriend to prom, she was rejected, and their school prom was cancelled. Though she received a lot of hate from her fellow classmates, she went through with suing her school and school district, arguing that they violating her First Amendment rights. She may feel bad to have ruined it for others, but that won't stop her from seeing justice. She saw victory in court, but she wasn't able to reinstate her school prom. She hasn't escaped the dirty looks or whispers in the hallway, but she appreciates support she has received from the country and media.

This story, which I found on //CNN.com//, interested me because I am a supporter of gay rights, and I couldn't believe the criticism and discrimination this girl faced due to her sexual orientation. In addition, the title also caught my eye because I was confused as to how someone can be publicly ostracized and celebrated at the same time.

Though //CNN// has faced controversy as to if they have any [|bias], it is more commonly believed that //CNN// has a slight liberal bias. I believe their liberal bias does show in this article, because those who lean left tend to support same sex marriage and gay rights.

This article hugely addresses the discrimination that homosexual people have to face, and the author's tone is supportive, and it seems that she's in agreement with Constance. She includes many points of support that Constance has received in media (i.e. Facebook, news, talk shows, other supporters, etc.). There is some emotional language used when describing how she is treated by other students (i.e. "dirty looks and cold shoulders"). The author is also repetitive, stating the fact that the school would rather cancel prom than allow a same-sex couple to attend it several times throughout the article, which helped get her point across. I definitely believe that she thought the banning was ridiculous, and it seems as though she was subtly knocking the school and district through her support of Constance.

It is also pointed out that her town in Mississippi is in a very conservative area, which adds to the separation that was put between her and those in her town. Adding the fact that Mississippi is believed to be [|"10 or 20 years behind [the rest of the country"]], it's clear that this issue was much bigger for her school than it would have for, say, a Californian school. This issue is still being argued in Constance's high school, and in other places in this country.

I personally hope that this event will help our society take a step forward in the acceptance of homosexuality, and by doing so, allow us to be more united and supportive of our fellow American citizens.