WHAT'S NEXT

Tell Champlin Park High School to Let Lesbian Couple Enter Procession Together
  1. Signatures
    669 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Communications Office, Anoka-Hennepin School District (+ 6 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Communications Office, Anoka-Hennepin School District (Brett Johnson)
      • Principal, Champlin Park High School (Michael George)
      • School Board Chair, Anoka-Hennepin School District (Tom Heidemann)
      • Board Member, Anoka-Hennepin School District (Marci Anderson)
      • Board Member, Anoka-Hennepin School District (John Hoffman)
      • Board Member, Anoka-Hennepin School District (Scott Wenzel)
      • Board Member, Anoka-Hennepin School District (Kathy Tingelstad)
  2. Created By
    Dana Rudolph
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jan 30, 2011

Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin School District has received widespread criticism for failing to create a safe climate for LGBT students, with a district policy that prevents teachers from talking about sexual orientation in the classroom. Recently the district tried to prevent two lesbian students, voted by classmates to join a "Royalty Court" for a winter formal, from processing into the event together. Thanks to the work of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as nearly 700 Change.org members, the district reversed course and will allow students to enter the event with their same-sex partners.

Champlin Park High School in Minnesota, has told two lesbian students, Desiree ("Dez") Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom, that they cannot enter a school procession on Monday, January 31, as the couple they are.

The two were chosen by fellow students to be part of the "royal court" for the annual Snow Days winter event. In past years, the court entered the event's opening pep fest in procession, walking in pairs, and members of the court could choose their partners. Typically, couples who were girlfriend and boyfriend entered together.

According to a letter from the  Southern Poverty Law Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Faegre & Benson, LLP, to the school and the district, though, the school told Desiree and Sarah they could not walk together because they are of the same sex. Desiree and Sarah persisted, and the school told them it would cancel the procession entirely and the event would begin with the royal court already seated.

The school later modified this to say that students would be entering one by one; the organizations say the discriminatory effect is the same, and violates both state and federal law.

Ask the school and the district to let Desiree and Sarah enter the procession this coming Monday, January 31, with each other, their chosen partners, as royal court members have done in years past.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Let Desiree and Sarah Enter the Snow Days Event Together

Greetings,

I am writing to ask you to allow the royal court for the Snow Days winter event to enter the pep fest in paired procession, with court members choosing their own partners as is traditional. This includes Desiree ("Dez") Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom, a lesbian couple who were chosen for the court by fellow students.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District has acquired a reputation for being less than welcoming to lesbian and gay students. For Desiree and Sarah to be open about their relationship was an act of great personal courage. They should be allowed all of the honors accorded to royal court members in years past, including the right to choose their processional partners.

Rather than make this event into a cause of contention, I hope you will instead choose to use it as an opportunity to show what diversity and respect really mean.

[Your name]

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