outsdr | Candace McMillen prom case reaction.

So, American Family Association sent out a press release today in response to the court ruling in the Constance McMillan prom date case. It's full of the expected intolerant fist-shaking, such as:

'Further, said Wildmon, the school did not violate Ms. McMillen's freedom of speech in any way. "It's absurd to accuse the school of violating her free speech rights. She's been talking to anybody and everybody who will listen and the school has made no effort to stop her. She's done countless media interviews, been on national TV, and even got a $30,000 scholarship from Ellen DeGeneres. Her speech hasn't just been free, it's been a moneymaker."'

So, it appears that because she's able to freely speak now, therefore her freedom of speech has NEVER been infringed upon. That way of thinking could revolutionize our entire justice system! Think about it: if a rape survivor ever enjoys sex again, then obviously they must never have been raped!

Call me a child, but I'm amused that when I try to go to their website, media.afa.net, it's been hacked.

At the newspaper I work for, we receive many similar press releases from the fundamentalist right. What we rarely receive are press releases from moderate or leftist views. Where is their voice? Why is there no opposing viewpoint? I know it exists. We don't solicit press releases; what we receive is sent to us from whomever has found our editorial email.

I've included the entire press release below. It astonishes and saddens me that in this day and age, there are people, many people, who think this way.

<i>AFA Media

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cindy Roberts
662-844-5036 x227

March 24, 2010

AFA condemns judge's ruling in senior prom case

U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled yesterday that Itawamba County Agricultural High School violated graduating senior Constance McMillen's constitutional right to free speech by refusing her permission to wear a tuxedo and bring a lesbian date to the senior prom.

He did not order the school to reinstate its canceled prom, but only because a privately sponsored affair is in the works.

The judge wrote that bringing a lesbian date to a dance is "the type of speech that falls squarely within the purview of the First Amendment."

But as AFA president Tim Wildmon said, "This is not about speech at all, but about the homosexual agenda. It's about the schoolyard bullies at the ACLU using an activist federal judge to force schools to normalize sexually aberrant behavior."

Further, said Wildmon, the school did not violate Ms. McMillen's freedom of speech in any way. "It's absurd to accuse the school of violating her free speech rights. She's been talking to anybody and everybody who will listen and the school has made no effort to stop her. She's done countless media interviews, been on national TV, and even got a $30,000 scholarship from Ellen DeGeneres. Her speech hasn't just been free, it's been a moneymaker."

Wildmon adds, "The ACLU folks say they're pro-choice, but that only applies if you make choices they like. If you don't, they'll find a federal judge to compel you to make the choice they want you to make."

Bryan Fischer, the AFA's director of issue analysis, said this is not even an equal rights issue. "The school had one policy that applied to every student equally. If Ms. McMillen wanted to bring a date to the prom, she had the same right every other student had, to bring a date of the opposite sex. She already had equal rights, but that wasn't enough for the thugs at the ACLU. They want special rights for homosexuals, not equal rights."

Added Fischer, "For an organization that constantly lectures us about the evils of imposing our values on other people, they certainly have no compunction about forcing their values down the throat of an entire school district."

Wildmon added that he hopes other school districts who face the same type of challenge will fight back rather than capitulate. "The AFA stands ready to help schools stand their ground against the ACLU. The ACLU is out to demolish the Judeo-Christian value system on which this nation was built, and they'll get away with it unless we rise up to stop them."

American Family Association is a pro-family advocacy organization with over 2.5 million online supporters.

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