Kansas honours trans ‘trailblazers’ after transphobic backlash to homecoming queen wins
Trans women Tristan Young and Landon Patterson have both been named homecoming queens Oak Park High School in Kansas City. (JusticeHorn_/X)
The chair of the Kansas City’s LGBTQ+ commission has honoured two trans homecoming queens as “trailblazers” following transphobic backlash.
Justice Horn, who made history as the University of Missouri-Kansas Cityʼs first openly gay multicultural student president, took to X/Twitter, to share his support of Kansas City’s two trans homecoming queens.
On Thursday (26 October), Young wrote that Tristan Young and Landon Patterson have been honoured as part of LGBTQ+ history month.
“Both made history after their peers made them the first and second Trans homecoming queen at Oak Park High School in Kansas City,” he wrote.
“May this Kansas City Resolution solidify our support for both of them and the greater Kansas City Trans community across our region.”
Horn’s honouring of the homecoming queens follows Young being subjected to transphobic backlash after being given a homecoming crown in September.
Young, who won the title after a vote by 1,500 fellow students, was named homecoming queen at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, reportedly beating four other candidates to take the title.
Her win marked the second time since 2015 that the school has elected a transgender student as their homecoming queen – the first being Landon Patterson.
But after hearing about her win, far-right figures including Riley Gaines and Libs of TikTok hit out at Young with angry comments.
Others made jabs at Young’s appearance and vilified her for being named homecoming queen, while other X users threatened to drag Young off the field “by [her] hair” and beat her up.
The 17-year-old responded to backlash and told The Kansas City Star she doesn’t want to “waste my time” trying to win over transphobes.
Despite the transphobia, which Young’s mother, Chari, said had initially caused concerns about her safety, the overwhelming support Young felt during the moment outweighed any negative comments.
Amid the transphobic backlash, Horn posted on X to congratulate Young, he wrote: “I uplift this against the transphobic comments against this young person who was named queen by their peers. I’m thankful the next generation of Kansas City is so kind.”
