High Schoolers Unite To Fight Prom Discrimination In 50 States

The team at DoSomething.org is determined to do something about discrimination at prom.

Visualized through an interactive heat map of the United States, high school students nationwide submitted troubling stories of discrimination and unfair treatment at their prom. Many of the anecdotes are heartbreaking.

^{My school requires same sex couples to have their parents sign a form stating that they are a gay couple, when heterosexual couples are not required to do the same. Without the special form, couple privileges are revoked and outside dates cannot enter. I have a friend who wanted to take a gay date two years ago but couldn't because he didn't want to bring the form in front of his parents. — Kansas, April 15, 2019}

The 2019 "Take Back The Prom" movement allowed students to share more than 1,000 personal stories about injustices they experienced, in all 50 states. The data largely correlated with state population, with the most submissions coming from Texas, with 118. There were 87 stories shared from California, 56 from New York and 51 from Florida.

“We received stories of prom discrimination from all 50 states," said Tej Gokhale, Civic Action Lead at DoSomething.org. "The stories we received from thousands of young people were heartbreaking and disturbing, ranging from same-sex or interracial couples turned away at the door to gender-based dress code discrimination— administrators and students disrespecting young people’s identities across the country. And yet, there were hopeful and inspiring stories of how those same young people were fighting for change.”

Such tales of discrimination at prom occasionally reach the mainstream — like a school district in Tremont, Miss., that banned same-sex dates again in 2019, nine years after the ACLU intervened back in 2010 — but the anonymity of submissions on DoSomething.org shows a much broader issue persists, even without the headlines.

^{My girlfriend and I weren’t allowed to take our girlfriend to my senior prom. As one of the founders and president of my schools GSA Club, until the school had closed the club, was disgusted by this discrimination against the LGBTQIA community. We must stand together to oppose discrimination against the LGBTQIA community! — Pennsylvania, April 21, 2019}

To further inspire courage among the impacted students, DoSomething.org enlisted a diverse set of influencers, including 18-year-old LGBTQ+ rights activists and star of TLC's I Am Jazz, Jazz Jennings; actor, singer, dancer and activist Alyson Stoner; actor Lachlan Watson; actor Ian Alexander; and youth activist Deja Foxx, among others.

"It was important for us to engage with influencers for Take Back the Prom that had a personal connection to the cause," said Carrie Bloxson, Chief Marketing Officer of DoSomething.org.

"Ian Alexander posted that he didn’t attend his prom because he thought he’d be alienated for expressing his gender identity. Lachlan Watson, who identifies as gender non-binary, talked about their anxiety heading into prom because of pressure to look or dress a certain way. Alyson Stoner even created a dance-and-poetry piece to support the cause," Bloxson said. "These influencers wanted to lend their support because the cause and the campaign spoke to their experience, and their fans felt that too. When someone is being authentic, people can relate."

^{They said guys had to wear a tux or a suit to my prom. I didn't have either and my mom is disabled and can't afford to buy one but I still wanted to go to prom. She stressed herself out by going to four different thrift stores just to find an outfit that would make up a suit for me to go to prom. Being that she's sick she didn't need to do all of that. But based on some antiquated rule she did it for me and my girlfriend so we could have a good time at prom. I'm grateful that we were able to go. — Illinois, April 12, 2019}

Beyond compiling the students' stories, DoSomething.org established a simple petition for supporters to sign, calling on school executives to update their prom procedures:

^{To High School Principals,}

^{We believe it is the right of all students to attend prom with whatever partner they choose and without discrimination. We call on you to change your prom policies to include students and dates of all backgrounds.}

According to Kim Dayman of DoSomething.org, the petition collected 17,086 signatures, and will be sent around the country this fall.

The petition and map of discrimination were major elements of the broader Take Back The Prom campaign, which also included the nation's largest youth-led drive for formal prom wear; an advocacy toolkit, paired with one-on-one assistance, to push for gender-inclusive prom courts; and an anonymous anxiety tipline.