As homecoming is fast approaching, men are creatively thinking of new ways to ask women to homecoming.

With all these homecoming proposals, the question arises: are women allowed to say no to homecoming dates? This answer can be different for many students and people in general. I think women should be given the choice of saying no to being asked to homecoming.

Certain high schools in Illinois require that if a young woman is asked to homecoming, she must say yes. This can be really uncomfortable when a boy asks a girl, but the girl doesn’t feel safe or like the boy who asked.

They should also be allowed to say no because if they weren’t planning on going or can’t afford to pay for all the necessities, they shouldn’t be forced to go.

Furthermore, strict parents can also not allow their daughter to go to homecoming with a boy, and issues can occur if the girl already had a date or a boyfriend.

This issue can also bring further problems beyond homecoming. First of all, women should be able to make their own decisions. If a young woman doesn’t want to go to homecoming with a certain guy, she shouldn’t be forced to.

Also, men must respect women and their choices. No matter the circumstances, when a female says no, she means no. People might argue that if a female says no, it can hurt a young man’s  self esteem or he may feel rejected. In response, I think men need to experience rejection because they won’t always get what they want in life, and they need to be okay with that.

Senior Katherine Cullinan believes that if a girl is asked to homecoming, she should say yes. “Unless the person can have a legitimate reason to say no, girls should say yes.”

She explains that when saying yes, people aren’t committing to anything serious. “Homecoming is not like going on a date. It’s a group thing where people can enjoy time with their friends.”

She also said that if a man takes his time to think of an exciting and interesting way to ask, the nicest thing to do is say yes.

“The guy is putting himself out there, so don’t just decline him.” In the end, homecoming is just one night with friends and having a great time.

The bottom line, however, is that it really should be up to the individual.