A Butch Named Prom King?
Written by OddCulture on April 21st, 2007 in culture.
Cinthia … or Tony?
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - When school officials announce the name of the Fresno High School prom king on Saturday, Cinthia Covarrubias will be wearing a tuxedo just like the six boys vying for the honor. School officials this week added the 17-year-old’s name to the ballot for prom king, reversing a previous district protocol that allowed only males to run for king and females for prom queen. Gay youth advocates called it a landmark victory for campus gender expression and said they believe it’s the first time in the U.S. that an openly transgender student has run for prom royalty.
Covarrubias, who wears black-and-white Vans, baggy shorts and close-cropped brown hair, sometimes identifies herself as Tony. Her date, a close female friend, plans to wear a black dress and red corsage to the prom at an outdoor reception hall surrounded by man-made waterfalls. “I would never have run for anything if I had to wear a dress,” Covarrubias said.
Covarrubias said she was honored her classmates nominated her for prom king last Friday, but administrators quickly dampened her enthusiasm by saying she could only run for queen. Tiffani Sanchez, a science teacher who advises the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, complained.
Lady looks like a dude…
Some students criticized the decision to put Covarrubias on the ballot. “I like lesbians, but they shouldn’t be allowed to run for king,” said senior Erich Logan, 18, as he stood outside the stately high school building. But Leanne Reyes, 16, said Covarrubias had her vote. “It’s not like the stereotype where the king has to be a jock and he’s there with the cheerleaders anymore,” said Reyes, a senior. “We live in a generation now where dudes are chicks and chicks are dudes.”
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Odd Culture is sad that everybody is discovering their MySpace “Private” settings…
UPDATE
