I like to think most people would, normally though it just depends on whether they have a certain bias on the situation - not even necessarily bigoted ones, could be 'Listen to that girl, what a bitch' - then the rationalizing kicks in. Normally you can prime people - especially americans who get fed the 'liberty or death' dogma from the cradle - by giving a 'freedom rant' before exposing them to a given issue or shortly after they've heard about the issue before they've dug in their heels and expect to get a very pro-freedom response from them.



Pretty much the direction of my thrust, yes. I am a very conservative republican and pro-gay rights (which is not as rare combination as most people think) but I'm also fairly cynical. I nominally support the girl's position but I dislike siding with either side on this since I don't like selective outrage and situational ethics, and that's obviously what's going on for most of the people on either side of the issue. Gay Rights has become a 'cool issue' just like protesting Vietnam became a 'cool issue' and many other issues have done as well, and invariably the rational and principled believers get edged out by the hysterics. Dr. King is shoved aside for Black Panthers. Lucy Burns and Alice Paul get replaced by Valerie Solanas and Gloria Steinem.

My guess is the school board was probably sympathetic toward her, and simply was trying to take the pragmatic compromise approach because they viewed having the prom as more important and didn't want to interject politics into a major traditional and highly important social event, when faced on both sides by people more interested politics and winning their battle than letting children have their emotional important event, they chose to cancel the whole thing. Not sure I agree with that either, but I can't demonize them for it.