Americans Have Forgotten That Private Means Private

First published on The Liberty Conservative

Is it just me, or have people lost sight of the concept that a private organization is just that– private? They can make their own rules as they see fit, that is until a progressive’s feeling get hurt and they make it their crusade to tackle the private organizations and all who associate.

I hail from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My well respected Alma Mater, Bishop McDevitt High School, has been making national news recently.

This Catholic private high school barred a student from entering their prom because of what she chose to wear to the event. The student was aware of the dress code and was repeatedly warned by the school that she would not be allowed in the event if she did not abide by the dress code.

But Aniya Wolf showed up to the prom on May 6th, donning her tuxedo and brought the local news with her.

The story spread like wildfire, with people across the nation screaming the school is bigoted and homophobic for making this decision.




But Bishop McDevitt High School is a private school.

Let me repeat that for you again… a private school.

Which means when you sign up to attend this school,  whether you agree whole heartedly with the rules established or not, you must abide by them. You can’t just break the established rules and cry “homophobic.”

Have we as a society lost the concept of what it means to be a private organization or a private business? Private organizations get to make their own rules and if you don’t like those rules, then don’t join or do business with that organization.

It is easy to scream “bigot” or “homophobic” at this situation. But those terms do not accurately reflect the situation, and are a deflection of the true issue at the center of this story: you have to follow the rules at your private school.

Maybe Aniya and her supporters should lobby to amend the dress code for the school in the future. Maybe a group of students should have sat down with the principal of the school and tried to work something out.

I don’t know if those would have been successful, but it would have created a less dramatic outcome than nationally smearing your high school and turning an issue about a private organizations rules into a supposed anti-LGBT issue.

The minute you sign your school handbook or your employment documentation, you are pledging to follow that private organizations rules. Period. End of story.

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