UPDATE 9/28 1:35pm:
Last week, we told you about Lance Sanderson, the 18-year-old Memphis student who started a Change.org petition after his school, Christian Brothers High School, told him he couldn't bring his male date to homecoming. "CBHS students may attend the dance by themselves, or with a girl from another school. For logistical reasons, boys from other schools may not attend," the administration announced at the time.
Lance, a senior who has been openly gay since his freshman year, came to school today only to find out that he's been suspended for the week for...well, no one really knows. Because they have a lot of other students to worry about? Or something? He provided us with this letter he plans to submit to school officials today.
Finding a date to homecoming is always a stressful experience, but it’s even worse when your school administrators tell you who you can and cannot bring. Lance Sanderson, 18, is a senior at Christian Brothers High School (CBHS) in Memphis, Tennessee, an all-boys Catholic prep school. He’s been openly gay since freshman year, and has faced discrimination and bullying from his peers throughout his high school career. Unfortunately, it seems that school officials are just as homophobic, as Lance’s request to bring a male date to the upcoming homecoming dance has stirred a huge controversy.
Last week, CBHS put together a committee to decide whether or not Lance would be permitted to bring a male date, and the policy unveiled this week read (as part of a blurb in the daily morning announcements), “CBHS students may attend the dance by themselves, or with a girl from another school. For logistical reasons, boys from other schools may not attend.”
In response to this policy, Lance started a Change.org petition that has, in its 20 hours online, gotten nearly 6,000 signatures. In the petition, Lance writes, “I just want to bring a date of my choice to homecoming like the rest of my friends and classmates. I'm not asking for special treatment. I'm just asking for respect, and the chance to make my last homecoming a truly memorable experience.”
Additionally, Lance has worked as the school’s sports photographer for the past year, and after his request, the school told him he could no longer do that, and asked that he tell his classmates that he's going to “take a break for a while for personal reasons," he told Mic.
As of this morning, the last sentence of the homecoming bulletin (“CBHS students may attend…”) has been removed from the morning announcements, but to Lance’s knowledge, “The policy has not changed.”
“During seventh period today, they asked all of the seniors and juniors not to interact with the media, but they didn’t say that there was any kind of change coming,” Lance told us. “I don’t think there’s any indication of an immediate change.”
The dance is this upcoming Saturday, so the clock is ticking for CBHS administrators to come to their senses. Lance, however, is not sure if he’ll be attending the dance at all. “My initial thought was I’m just going to do some work at home, and sort through some photos or something. I might go, but I’m not sure yet.” Either way, we commend Lance for taking a stand.
Related: This Transgender Homecoming Queen Just Made History at Her School
Check out Teen Vogue’s October issue cover star, Elle Fanning.
