Indiana school group petitions for a 'gay-free' prom

GlobalPost

Well, this is a whole new level of high school homophobia. 

A group of students, parents, and a teacher at Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Indiana are petitioning for a "traditional" prom that does not include LGBT students, local NBC News network WTWO reported

The group met at Sullivan First Christian Church Sunday to plan the separate prom, after the school said they were not legally able to ban gays from attending the official event. 

"If we can get a good prom then we can convince more people to come and follow what they believe," Kynon Johnson, one of the students pushing for a homophobic prom, told WTWO. 

A counter-group called "Support the Sullivan High School Prom for All Students" has formed to defend both the high school's move and its LGBT students. 

"These people are standing behind religion to show their personal bigotry," the group wrote on their Facebook page. "Kudos to the school administration that is doing the right thing by allowing an inclusive prom."

Columnist Dan Savage has also spoken out against the "traditional" prom movement.

"There's no way to stop the haters at Sullivan High School from holding an independent prom for the special bigoted kids," Savage wrote in his column. "But here's what we can do: we can make a noise so loud enough that all the queer kids at Sullivan High School hear it. Those kids need to know that there are people—a lot of people—who think this...is wrong."

ThinkProgress.com also pointed out that the original WTWO story had been edited and "toned down" since it's publication, including editing out a quote from special education teacher Diana Medley saying that she doesn't think "gays have a purpose in life."

More from GlobalPost: Gay Straight Alliance clubs approved in Ontario schools

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