Young People Taking a Stand (insert smiley face)

A few days ago a Facebook friend who also resides in Minnesota shared this link with me - a story about two Champlin Park High School seniors, Desiree "Dez" Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom, who'd been elected by the student body as one of seven couples on the royalty court for the school's "Snow Days." When the two girls were elected, school officials decided to change the procedure for how couples enter the pep rally - instead of walking in as couples, as has been the school's tradition, the students would be each be escorted by a parent or favorite teacher.

Ummmm, what? Here's more:

A district spokeswoman said the Champlin Park High School principal didn't want the young women to walk in together because he feared they would be teased, but the lawsuit said denying them that opportunity was discrimination and an infringement of their First Amendment rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a lawsuit Friday afternoon on their behalf.

Anoka-Hennepin schools spokeswoman Mary Olson said the women said they weren't comfortable walking in with a male student. Principal Michael George was concerned about the reaction of other students to a lesbian couple walking in together, Olson said, so on Friday the district decided the royal court would arrive individually or accompanied by a parent or favorite teacher.

"We believe we have come up with a better practice that is more tolerate and acceptable to all students," Olson said, adding that the traditional method assumed students were heterosexual while the new system makes no assumptions at all.

Sam Wolfe, a lawyer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that wasn't good enough. "The intent is really clear," he said. "The district does not want the same-sex couple walking in together."

But, the lawsuit said, walking into together was precisely why Shelton and Lindstrom campaigned to be elected by their peers in the first place. "Their intention was to make a political and public statement about gender roles" and lesbian and gay students, the lawsuit said.

Well, the next day . . .

. . . in federally mediated talks, school officials relented. The two sides agreed that members of the royalty court would be escorted by anyone meaningful to them, regardless of gender or age.

And this past Monday afternoon the two young women entered the pep fest as a couple, holding hands, wearing matching black suits and pink ties, to a cheering audience, and even a standing ovation:

"It felt amazing," said Shelton, adding that she was too nervous to notice dozens rise to give her a standing ovation as she walked in with Lindstrom. "I think we were too focused on getting to the stage."

If there were any boos, they were drowned about by supporters. "I feel so much better," Lindstrom said while surrounded by friends after the rally.

Sarah's mother, Shannon Lindstrom, camera in hand, joined the other mothers of children in the royalty court after the rally.

"They had a lot of courage," she said Shelton [sic] and her daughter. "Look how far we've come."

Fuck yeah.