Gay man suspended from school after fighting homophobic prom ban
A high school couple say they were banned from their school prom because gay attendees are ‘against school regulations’.
Raymond Tullier and his boyfriend, Nicholas Newport, were shocked when they were not allowed to purchase tickets for their upcoming prom.
As Tullier went to buy the tickets, his plans were halted by their school’s assistant principal – who told the student that he would be able to attend.
The teenager says the principal refused to offer an explanation, so he contacted his mother – Tamblie Babin – and asked her to get in touch with the school in order to get to the bottom of the problem.
Babin called the school and spoke to the assistant principal, asking her why her son could not attend the prom.
“She [assistant principal] said they didn’t allow same sex going to prom together, it was against school regulations,” she told WBRZ.
Her son was subsequently suspended and sent home – allegedly for using his cell phone to text his mother during school time.
Babin said that she complained to the area’s Superintendent, who promised to investigate the subject.
The French Settlement High School students were eventually allowed to get their tickets for the prom, after Superintendent John Watson told WBRZ that he would not tolerate any discrimination in the school district.
Watson added that investigation was far from over and he would be investigating the incident more thoroughly.
The couple shared their excitement before the prom on Saturday, to which they wore matching black pants, purple shirts and ties.
Last year, an image went viral of Anthony Martinez, who is an openly gay student at a school in Las Vegas, after he was asked to prom by his straight friend Jacob Lescenski.
The pair later appeared on Ellen – with Lescenski explaining that he invited his friend to prom after seeing him complain on Twitter that he couldn’t find a date.
