It's a formal, black-tie affair held in a rented banquet hall on the campus of Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana, pop. The "private, invitation only" dance for teens is an opportunity for student-couples to spend the evening dancing and celebrating with the one they love -- a milestone moment among many high school memories made.
Since , the New Years Eve Ball invitations have required "traditional couples only" -- traditional couple defined as one boy and one girl. These few students fail to consider that they've created a permanent digital trail showcasing and preserving their bigotry indefinitely, a digital trail available to college admissions counselors and potential employers.
Just as their parents have preserved their bigotry indefinitely, for the world to see. Are the students parroting their parents? The committee parents fund the event and regard it as a "private party," not all Lincoln High School students or couples are invited -- certainly not Lincoln High School LGBT student-couples.
Yet, according to multiple sources the committee utilizes high school resources such as class rosters and school facilities to organize and promote the event. Adding insult to injury, pictures of "traditional couples" attending the "invitation only" New Years Eve Ball are featured in the high school's annual yearbook available to all students.
The very foundation of the New Years Eve Ball is based in exclusivity and discrimination funded in part by Indiana taxpayer money e. A letter sent to the Vincennes Community School Board and the high school's principal kindly asked them to review the New Years Eve Ball committee's exclusionary and discriminatory practices. Read the letter here. A copy was also sent to the New Years Eve Ball committee. The school board replied in a positive and affirming manner, agreeing to reach out to committee parents, asking them to reconsider their "traditional couples only" policy.
