Lesbian teen wins $35K in prom case

Mississippi school pays damages to lesbian teen over prom dispute.

By the CNN Wire Staff
July 20, 2010 1:14 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- A school district in Mississippi has agreed to pay a recent high school graduate $35,000 in damages and adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to a statement released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The settlement comes after the ACLU sued the school district in Fulton, Mississippi, on behalf of Constance McMillen, a lesbian teen who was told by Itawamba Agricultural High School officials she and her girlfriend would be ejected if they attended the school-sponsored prom.

The agreement, which was filed Tuesday, ends the lawsuit.

"I'm so glad this is all over. I won't ever get my prom back, but it's worth it if it changes things at my school," McMillen said in a statement released Tuesday.

The prom, originally scheduled for April 2, was eventually canceled by school board officials who previously said they reached their decision based on "the education, safety and well-being of [its] students."

Officials at McMillen's former high school are not commenting at this time, and a call to the north Mississippi school district seeking comment Tuesday wasn't immediately returned.

According to the ACLU statement, McMillen "suffered humiliation and harassment after parents, students and school officials executed a cruel plan to put on a decoy prom for her while the rest of her classmates were at a private prom 30 miles away."

McMillen believes the alternative prom she was sent to was a sham because only a handful of people attended. "A lot of people were talking about how it was a joke just set up for me," she previously said.

In March, a federal judge ruled that McMillen's First Amendment rights were violated when her school district refused to let her attend her prom in a tux with a girl.

That was good news, said her attorney, Christine Sun, senior counsel with the ACLU's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender project. It set a precedent and helped broadcast an important statement, which was made stronger by virtue of where it came from, she said.

"We're in a conservative area of the country, where people tend to think we can do what we like," said Sun, who lives in New York but has traveled multiple times to Mississippi on McMillen's behalf. "This case sends a strong message that that's not going to fly anymore."

In 2004, the national gay rights group GLSEN -- the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network -- issued a report that said of all 50 states, Mississippi had the most hostile environment for gay youths.

"We hope this judgment sends a message to schools that they cannot get away with discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students," said Bear Atwood, interim legal director at the ACLU of Mississippi.

Since McMillen's name made national headlines, the lesbian teen advocate has served as the grand marshal for New York's Gay Pride Parade, she received a $30,000 college scholarship from an anonymous donor, and a Facebook page called "Let Constance Take Her Girlfriend to Prom!" had attracted nearly 410,000 fans as of Tuesday.

"It means a lot to me," McMillen said. "The amount of support helps me to continue with the fight."

6-Year-Old Northeast Ohio Girl on 'No Fly' List

WESTLAKE, Ohio - Alyssa Thomas, 6, is a little girl who is already under the spotlight of the federal government. Her family recently discovered that Alyssa is on the "no fly" list maintained by U.S. Homeland Security.

"We were, like, puzzled," said Dr. Santhosh Thomas. "I'm like, well, she's kinda six-years-old and this is not something that should be typical."

Dr. Thomas and his wife were made aware of the listing during a recent trip from Cleveland to Minneapolis. The ticket agent at the Continental counter at Hopkins Airport notified the family. "They said, well, she's on the list. We're like, okay, what's the story? What do we have to do to get off the list? This isn't exactly the list we want to be on," said Dr. Thomas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations in Cleveland will confirm that a list exists, but for national security reasons, no one will discuss who is on the list or why.

The Thomas family was allowed to make their trip but they were told to contact Homeland Security to clear-up the matter. Alyssa just received a letter from the government, notifying the six-year-old that nothing will be changed and they won't confirm nor deny any information they have about her or someone else with the same name.

"She's been flying since she was two-months old, so that has not been an issue," said Alyssa's dad. "In fact, we had traveled to Mexico in February and there were no issues at that time."

According to the Transportation Security Administration, Alyssa never had any problems before because the Secure Flight Program just began in June for all domestic flights. A spokesperson will only say, "the watch lists are an important layer of security to prevent individuals with known or suspected ties to terrorism from flying."

Right now, Alyssa has other priorities. "My Barbies, my magic mirror and jumping on my bed!" But her name will likely stay on the list and as for the next time she flies, the FBI says they'll rely on the common sense of the security agents.

"She may have threatened her sister, but I don't think that constitutes Homeland Security triggers," said Dr. Thomas.

The Thomas family can still fly, but the check-in process will likely take much longer. They plan on making another appeal to U.S. Homeland Security.

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White Rice May Raise Type-2 Diabetes Risk

By Kelly L. Jackson June 17, 2010 4:11 pm

Rice Lovers pay attention! A new study has taken a closer look at what our selections of rice means for our risk of diabetes. A group of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Heath evaluated three groups of participants and came back with some interesting results. They discovered that eating five or more servings of white rice per week increased a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes. They also found that replacing just one-third of a daily serving of brown rice would lower their risk. Additionally, including more whole grains such as wheat and barley would also reduce their risk.

Whole grain and whole wheat food products have become commonplace in most American supermarkets and restaurants, giving consumers healthier options with foods like pasta, flour and bread.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), having diabetes affects more than just patients’ blood sugar levels, it also often results in various eye, foot and skin complications, and increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

The results reported in most cases, eating more brown than white rice was not based on ethnicity and more so on a health-conscious diet and life choices, but noted that participants who ate the most white rice were typically not of European origin and were more likely to have a family history that included diabetes.

The ADA reports that type 2 diabetes is more common in older adults as well as in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

The team of researchers explained that the superiority of brown rice is due to its high fibervitamins and minerals and the fact that it typically doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar. Fiber is a significant fighter against the onset of diabetes because it slows the rush of sugar to the bloodstream. content,

Key potential influencers such as age, weight, smoking status, alcohol intake, family history of diabetes and other dietary habits were taken into consideration but, findings still held true.

Whole grains, rather than refined carbohydrates like white rice, should be the recommended primary source of carbohydrates for the U.S. population.

The most recent available data from the ADA reports that 23.6 million children and adults in the United States — that’s 7.8 percent of the entire population — have some form of diabetes. And 5.7 million people are living undiagnosed.

Water Buffalo Head Traps Man In Recliner!

(NewsCore) - A Florida man was rescued from his recliner early Friday after a mounted animal head hanging on his wall fell into his lap and pinned him down, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

The falling object was a stuffed water buffalo head and it trapped the man as he slept in his recliner, Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.

The man couldn't move but managed to reach his cell phone and call police.

"All the male caller could do is yell his address and tell them he was 'crushed,'" Herrin said in a statement.

The man was treated at a local hospital and released.

15-Year-Old Brutally Beaten By Indianapolis Police

INDIANAPOLIS — The city’s police chief called Thursday for the firing of a white officer who he said repeatedly struck a 15-year-old biracial boy in the face during an arrest after the teen had been subdued by other officers.

Chief Paul Ciesielski said Officer Jerry Piland needlessly struck Brandon Johnson several times during the May 16 arrest near the boy’s home. Johnson was left with gaping wounds on his swollen face and a black eye.

“It was a difficult decision, but I know it was the right decision to terminate his employment because that certainly serves as an example that we have a zero-tolerance policy,” Ciesielski said at a news conference.

Ciesielski’s recommendation will go to the Civilian Police Merit Board, which ultimately will decide whether to fire Piland.

The teen’s family and black community leaders have called for a federal investigation into whether Johnson’s civil rights were violated. Piland, 36, and the other three officers directly involved in the arrest are white, while Johnson’s mother is black and his father is white.

“I’m grateful to have one bad cop off the streets, but there was a lot of wrongdoing here that day,” Johnson’s mother, Chantay Chandler, said at a news conference Thursday at the family’s home. Family representatives called on the department to fire the four officers directly involved in the arrest, but not a fifth officer who stood on the periphery.

“One token firing is not enough,” said the family’s attorney, Stephen Wagner.

Ciesielski said one of the other officers, Stacy Lettinga, received a reprimand for wrongfully arresting another youth at the scene, and that the three others had been exonerated. None of the five had any prior record of excessive force, and Piland has received several commendations.

Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said last week that he was investigating the matter and had not decided whether to bring charges against any of the officers. He said he decided not to charge Johnson because it wasn’t in the best interests of the teen or the community.