Openly gay TV personality and new American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres has handed a teenage lesbian caught in a Mississippi school scandal a $30,000 (£18,750) scholarship.
The star invited high school student Constance McMillen onto her daily TV talk show on Friday (19Mar10) and presented the speechless teen with a cheque.
McMillen hit the headlines earlier this month (Mar10) when she challenged Itawamba County School District officials' rules that prevented her from escorting her girlfriend to the prom.
The school district cancelled the 2 April (10) event after McMillen’s request.
Officials at the American Civil Liberties Union are taking the school board bosses to court to force them to reschedule the prom.
Tagged in American Idol Ellen DeGeneres