A Prom for All Ages!, Carroll County

Attendees of Carroll County’s A Prom for All Ages! on May 6 were able to dance, have their photos taken and enjoy snacks in an accepting environment, according to organizers.

While many school proms now allow students to wear whatever they want and bring someone of the same sex as their date, it “takes a lot of courage to do that,” according to Joy Fisher, president of PFLAG Westminster, an organization for parents of LGBTQ children.

PFLAG sponsored this prom; it was not associated with the local school system.

“You don’t know if you will be made fun of or if you’ll be called names,” Fisher said. “It takes even more courage to do a slow dance.”

At Prom for all Ages!, at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ hall in Westminster, those concerns are replaced with more typical teenage angst, she said.

“There is no need to have bravery to dance with whom you want to dance other than the courage needed to ask,” Fisher said.

PFLAG Westminster has hosted popular Valentine’s Day dances in the past, Fisher said, but the pandemic put a stop to those. When COVID numbers started going down, organizers started thinking about hosting another prom.

Fisher said about 140 people attended the prom.

“It was absolutely fabulous. Beyond anything we could have ever dreamed,” she said.

Admission was free and while everyone was invited, she said mostly teenagers and middle-school students attended. Chaperones were present and snacks were available. All attendees could have their photograph taken and received a free print to take home.

“It is for all ages from 2 to 99,” Fisher said. “Kids, adults, all of us need a safe place.”

Participants were encouraged to wear what they wanted, said Fisher, who donned a tux for the event.

“The kids had the best time,” Fisher said. “They were dressed in shorts to gowns and tuxes. It thrilled my heart.”