Dell,
I think it is obvious that the bigotry of the people in the area (religiously based or not) is where the policy of discrimination originated. What they believe will happen is of little concern. They can believe the world will blow up for all I care. I have no interest in their irrational fears.
The fact that a private enterprise will take care of a prom for a public school is a little concerning. If something goes wrong who is liable? Will the private entity be allowed to discriminate? What happens with the public funding allocated to the prom? Should the school be allowed to shirk it's responsibility due to their prejudice?
Yes the COTUS does entitle them to the prom. It's called the 14th amendment.
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
How does this not apply? Gays must be treated the same as all others by law.
East,
If formal attire is required then pants are not acceptable but that is not what I wrote. What I wrote was that it is acceptable for women to wear pants in to days society, and since tuxedos have pants, it would be hard to argue that women cannot wear a tux.
Reasonable is relative. What you define as reasonable I may find overly restrictive. I believe any restrictions should be based on whether or not the action will cause any harm (mental anguish does not count) to others or property. Kilt, no problem. Fins could cause a safety hazard if you are trying to evacuate a plane. Pant, as long as it does not rub off on the seats or others why not.
A gay couple does not harm anyone. They are not infringing on anyones rights. They pay taxes (or at least their guardians do) so they are entitled to the same rights as the other students. Prejudice should never be the bases for law. Aside from that, the pledge states very clearly "freedom and justice for all", not some people, not just the people we like, not just the people we agree with but ALL people. Or is the pledge just a bunch of words people like to say to make them feel better?