A Missouri high school is under fire for naming a transgender student its homecoming queen for the second time — beating out four biological girls for the title.
Tristan Young, 17, a senior at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, was voted homecoming queen by her fellow students on Friday, KCRG-TV reported.
Young became the second trans school homecoming queen after Landon Patterson won the title in 2015.
“Being nominated and then being queen is so much deeper than just the surface,” Young wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve had a very difficult high school journey, but having the support of my friends, family and Oak Park has helped so much, I really don’t know where I’d be without it,” the newly crowned queen wrote.
“Tonight I stand on the field with four other amazing women, who are just as deserving of this honor as I am. I could not have asked for a better experience with this lady,” added Young.
North Kansas City schools posted images of a beaming Young on his Facebook and X accounts, formerly known as Twitter.
“Congratulation to @Northmen_OPHS Queen Tristan Young is Home!” NKC School said in the caption.
Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri, faced criticism after naming transgender student Tristan Young (right) homecoming queen.Twitter/@NKCSchools
“North Kansas City Schools ensure that every student reaches his or her unique potential and thrives in an environment of rapid change,” the district said at the platform, which was met with a mix of support and derision.
Justice Horn, an activist and chair of the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission, praised Young’s ordination.
“I want to pause and congratulate Tristan for being crowned Oak Park High School Homecoming Queen!” he wrote to X. “I raise this matter against the transphobic comments against these young people who are being called queens by their peers. I am thankful that the next generation of Kansas City is very good.”
In another message, he wrote: “After a youngster was made homecoming queen by their peers at a local high school here in Kansas City—anti-LGBTQ+ mobs lost it and targeted them online.”
Young is the second trans student to be named homecoming queen at Oak Park High School since 2015. Twitter/@NKCSchools
One of the users criticizing the move was Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer who gained national notoriety for criticizing the NCAA’s decision to allow controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas to compete with her in Division I.
“Absolutely stunning & daring,” Gaines wrote, cynical. “Another reminder to all girls that men make the best women. I wonder if a woman will win the homecoming king or if it is understood that these two spots are reserved for men. Who is to blame here?”
Another user accused the school of trying to appeal to a target audience.
“The fact that @NKCSchools immediately locked comments is telling,” wrote one. “They know this is nonsense to the mentally ill. And they want everyone to play together.”
But other users came to Young’s defense, including one graduate who said the student “is my friend.
“I can tell you from experience that Tristan Young was not indoctrinated by the narrative. He is the best person I have ever acted with,” wrote the alum.
“Tonight I stand on the field with four other amazing women, who are just as deserving of this honor as I am,” said Young.Twitter/@NKCSchools
A North Kansas City Schools official told NBC News, which obtained Young’s statement, that the student vote determined the decision.
“Our students voted for this year’s King and Queen. The role of the school and/or district is to respect the student’s voice and decision,” representative Susan Hiland told the outlet.
Last year, an Indiana high school crowned a drag queen as prom king, NBC News reported.
In 2021, an Ohio high school crowned a lesbian couple as prom king and queen and a Missouri high school chose its first male homecoming queen.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
