US: Transgender teens sweep homecoming court
This week two transgender teenagers were voted by their peers as homecoming royalty.
Gonzales turned to social media in the days before the announcement, telling his classmates that he wanted this to be less of a popularity contest and more of a testament to what trans people can do.
He wrote: “I never wanted to make it as [homecoming king] a popularity contest. Rather, I wanted to prove that an openly transgender male could make court. I don’t want to be just your homecoming king — I want to be your female-to-male homecoming king. It make not be a big deal to you, but this is for my LGBT community, for my Gay-Straight Alliance, and for my underdogs who don’t get enough representation. You are capable, so always keep at it.”
Lehn faced criticisms regarding her nomination saying that her win would be a joke and take the position from more deserving girls.
For Lehn the position was anything but a joke. She recalled hearing the news of her win as a very happy moment.
She said: “It was really exciting. It felt really good. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
Gonzales and Lehn join North Carolina’s Blake Brockington as openly-trans homecoming court winners.
