Hi everyone,

This is going to be a little long, but please read this because I really need your help! As you all know by now, gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states by order of the Supreme Court of the United States! This is a giant step forward in making sure that everyone in America has access to basic human rights. However, some parts of the country have made more progress in this area, than others. Many counties in the state of Texas for example have openly defied the SCOTUS ruling, and are refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples for "religious reasons". Blatant discrimination like this is particularly prevalent in our school systems. My name is Javier, and I attend a private high school in Houston, Texas where it is especially bad. In the past, our principal has openly stated that same-sex couples are banned from participating in school functions like prom, homecoming, etc. Because I do go to a private school though, protections that apply to students in public schools don't necessarily apply to us. My boyfriend and I have been going out since our freshman year, and are now heading into our senior year. I have never been to any of my school's numerous dances, because unlike hetero couples, I have not been allowed to bring my boyfriend and I would not feel right going without him. This is my last year of high school, and I want to be able to attend my first homecoming this fall and my first prom next May, WITH my boyfriend by my side. I want to get at least 1,000 signatures on this petition, so that I can show the administrators at my school that attitudes across America are changing! I want them to see how supportive people are of same-sex relationships, and that there is no place for hate and bigotry in our schools or in our country. My hope is that this will help not only me, but also other students in Texas schools facing similar challenges, and possibly even kids in other states. PLEASE help me out by signing my petition! If you followed a link to get here, it probably asked you to sign in through Facebook. This is just because I used one of Facebook's third-party apps to create the petition, but I am currently working on a way to make it available to people who don't have Facebook. Also, you can sign using both your first and last name, or just your first name; whatever you feel comfortable with! Thank you to everyone for helping me out, your support means everything to me! I don't want to give out too much personal info about myself here, because unfortunately I have been receiving a lot of online hate recently. But, if you have any questions or want to know more about me, please don't hesitate to email me at javiercolon97@yahoo.com. Thanks again for your time!