Georgia Gay Teens Attend Prom Amid Cheers of Support

Derrick Martin arrived at his prom Saturday night with his date on his arm and a smile on his face like so many other teens at so many other proms this year. The difference was that Derrick's date was his boyfriend, Richard Goodman. Unlike what happened a few weeks ago in Mississippi to Constance McMillen, this was not a fake prom, there was no scheming or lying, only cheers of support from parents and classmates.

Couples began arriving at about 7:45 pm to find tight security provided by about 15 officers around the grounds of Bleckley County High School.

Macon.com reports:

When Martin, 18, and his boyfriend Richard Goodman, also 18, stepped onto a makeshift “red carpet” and their names were announced, a few parents whispered but many in the crowd gave him a loud cheer. No one yelled out in protest.

“I wonder if they realize what they’ve done,” said Arturro Beeche, a San Francisco professor who flew into Georgia on Friday and drove Martin and Goodman to the prom. “Once it happens in small-town America, it will inspire so many,” he said.

In a sad twist, although Derrick won the right to attend the prom with his date, his parents threw him out of his home due to all the press attention.

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Gay Teen Can Bring Boyfriend to Prom, Parents Kick Him Out (video)

In January of this year, Georgia high school senior, Derrick Martin started lobbying his school for permission to attend his prom with his boyfriend. The school initially turned down his request, but later changed it's decision in the wake of the ruling in the federal court case of Mississippi teen Constance McMillen. The courts found last week that McMillen's school violated her free speech rights by not allowing her to attend her prom with her girlfriend.

The downside in the case of Derrick Martin is that his parents have thrown him out of his home in the wake of nationwide attention to the case. According to the Macon Telegraph, Martin is currently staying with a friend. His school has no plans to cancel the prom or take any further actions in the case.

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