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May 2005 Excerpts from a story by Laura Hancock Deseret Morning News, 12 May 2005 Same-sex couples are allowed to attend prom in the school district, the superintendent says. "It's a non-issue with us," Superintendent Randy Merrill said. "We certainly honor the constitutional rights of students." Merrill briefly discussed with the Provo Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting a letter the American Civil Liberties Union sent to the principal of Provo High School. The ACLU sent the letter after receiving complaints from separate same-sex couples alleging school administrators told them they could not attend prom or participate in certain events at the dance. Although he called it a non-issue, Merrill later said his contract specifies that he must discuss with board members anything that could potentially become a legal problem for the district. The ACLU received the first complaint about Provo High's prom policy in the spring of 2003, said Dani Eyer, executive director of the Utah American Civil Liberties Union. That year two girls went to prom together, Eyer said. They were not hassled when they entered the dance, possibly because they randomly picked an entrance manned by students and not teachers. "They danced for most of the evening," Eyer said. But when it was time for students to promenade down the staircase in front of families, friends and the community, "the administration yanked them out of the line," Eyer said. A male couple contacted the ACLU before this year's prom at Provo High. They wanted to purchase tickets for the April 23 dance, but school administrators told them they could not, Eyer said. The ACLU sent a letter to the principal on April 15. See also: Gays Attend Prom for Bountiful High  Gay Mormon Boy Attends Queer Prom Queer Prom is a Unique Spin on an Old Tradition
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