From prnewswire.com
CHICAGO, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Little less than a year after a young Mississippi woman captured national headlines successfully challenging a local school policy that denied her ability to wear a tuxedo to a public high school prom, a Chicago area high school senior also successfully overturned such a discriminatory policy. In a letter sent to Proviso Township School District on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, lawyers for Belinda Sanchez asked the school to reverse its decision to deny Ms. Sanchez the opportunity to attend the prom in a tuxedo, explaining that its decision violated Ms. Sanchez's constitutional rights. The Proviso East High School prom is scheduled for later this month. Ms. Sanchez lawyers at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois were informed late yesterday in a letter from the school's Superintendent that her request has now been granted.
Ms. Sanchez wants to enjoy her senior prom with a group of friends. She has been planning this night for her entire senior year. In keeping with a school requirement that young women produce a photo of the dress they intend to wear, Ms. Sanchez met with Principal Milton Patch in March and notified him of her desire to wear a tuxedo. She selected the outfit because she thought it best represented who she is and how she expresses herself. Principal Hatch refused her request, saying that he didn't want a "sideshow" at what he described as "his" prom and suggesting that she might want to wear something "more revealing" than a tuxedo.