Lesbian teens shake up Champlin (MN) Park pep fest

[The Straight Story]

Lesbian teens shake up Champlin Park pep fest

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A civil rights group is taking Minnesota's largest school district to court to force it to permit two lesbian teens to walk into pep fest as a couple on Monday afternoon.

A lawyer for the Southern Poverty Law Center says court papers were filed Friday afternoon against the Anoka-Hennepin School District.

At issue are two 18-year-old women who were chosen by the students of Champlin Park High School as royalty for the annual Snow Days Pep Fest.

Anoka-Hennepin schools spokeswoman Mary Olson says traditionally the royal court walks into the assembly as male-female couples, but the lesbian couple said they weren't comfortable with that.

Olson says it was decided Friday that the royal court will walk in individually or accompanied by an adult.

http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2011/01/29/breaking_news/doc4d433569eb27b757129597.txt

[Angry Dragon]

1. That is a Minnesota school district

fairly large, part of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities

[rurallib]

5. is it in Bachmann's district?

if it is I bet she sticks her schnozz in.

[Odin2005]

6. Yes. Bachmann is from Anoka, IIRC.

[wellstone dem]

2. Yes, edit if you can that is Minnesota (MN) not North Dakota (ND)

[The Straight Story]

3. Ah thanks, was reading papers in ND from USNPL (has all the papers for the US)

Brain fart :)

[wellstone dem]

4. And the Anoka Schools have not been supportive of GLBT teens

and have had several gay students commit suicide.

[rgbecker]

7. Isn't Anoka Garrison Kiellor's Lake Wobegone?

That is to say Kiellor's hometown.

[wellstone dem]

10. Not quite, Garrison was born in Anoka but he worked

at St. John's University which is about 60 miles West and a little North of where he grew up.

It's where I grew up. Many of the names of people, "Krebsbach" are actual names of people around St. John's. Kresbach Chevrolet is where I bought my first car.

Now, in that area of Minnesota, there is the Lake Wobegon bike trail, which I bike regularly.

[rgbecker]

11. Very Interesting....and is there an actual Lake Wobegon..the lake?

I'm a big fan of Prairie Home Companion...Brought up Lutheran in St. Louis.

[wellstone dem]

12. Nope, sorry, no actual Lake Wobegon

though lots of the other communities that are mentioned are real.

[blaze]

8. Kudos to the kids of CPHS!!!!!

These "grownups" should just get out of the way.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Leo Kottke is from Anoka.

The fabulous guitarist.

[JI7]

13. so the 2 girls were chosen by other Students ?

so who decided to stick their noses in and take away what the kids want ?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Update: Lesbian teens enter high school pep fest to cheers

CHAMPLIN, Minn.-- Two lesbian students who fought for the right to walk together in a ceremonial march at a Minnesota high school pep rally have made their entrance to cheers.

Sarah Lindstrom and Desiree Shelton wore matching black suits with pink ties and held hands as they entered the Snow Days pep rally Monday afternoon at Champlin Park High School in Minneapolis' northwest suburbs.

The two were elected to the royalty court, which traditionally enters the assembly in boy-girl pairs.

The school agreed to let Lindstrom and Shelton walk together only after a mediated settlement that followed a federal lawsuit filed on their behalf.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=904771

[joshcryer]

15. Sweet couple, shame there isn't video of this that I see, would be uplifting.

The thought of a high school full of kids cheering a lesbian couple.