Students and staff at an Indiana-based high school are trying to quickly distance themselves from the international media frenzy over one local group's plea for an "traditional" prom that would ban gay teens.
In an interview with local NBC affiliate WTWO, Sullivan High School Principal David Springer clarified that officials had no involvement with the group calling for the gay-free prom and that all students will be welcome at the school-officiated event in May.
"Anybody can go to the prom," he said. "Of course, a girl could go out with another girl if they didn't have a date or that was their choice."
Echoing Springer's sentiments was Dale Wise, senior minister at Sullivan First Christian Church where the anti-gay prom group met. "Our church has no involvement in this whatsoever," he is quoted as saying. "It's a community thing where people have met here."
As it turns out, the teacher who caused the most controversy after she equated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens to those with special needs in an earlier news report isn't even affiliated with Sullivan High School. The report notes that Diana Medley, who was among the students and parents present at a Feb. 10 meeting demanding that gay students be barred from attending the alternate dance, actually teaches special education at North Central Junior/Senior High School in nearby Farmersburg, Ind.
Among those to condemn Medley's comments was outspoken LGBT rights advocate Dan Savage, who marked that the teacher "should be fired." A petition calling for Medley's dismissal sprang up in the wake of the report and currently has over 10,000 supporters.
Take a look at our slideshow of LGBT prom couples below:
