Going to Prom Without a Date

The letter writers (May 25) who objected to a school’s decision to allow individuals, not just couples, to attend a prom, need to realize how “tradition� has kept a large segment of the population from participating in much that life has to offer.

Historically, tradition has come to mean “we have always done it this way and we will continue to do so� with no thought given to the feelings and rights of those excluded.

In the particular instance of keeping the status quo of couples only events, where peers need acceptance (permission) of the opposite sex in order to attend, schools need to stop playing matchmaker.

Some start at the early junior high school level to encourage dating by offering cheaper entrance fees for boy/girl couples than for individuals attending after school functions.

I am pleased that a school administrator in Orange County has had the courage, and is leading the way, to end such inequities; I hope many more schools will soon follow his example.

MARTHA ABELL

Seal Beach