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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Queen For a Day

Posted by on Thu, May 28, 2009 at 10:17 AM

Progress...

An openly gay teen was voted prom queen at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School in a campaign that began as a stunt but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles and teen popularity.

Sergio Garcia, 18, was crowned queen Saturday night at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

"I feel invincible," Garcia said in his tiara and charcoal-gray tuxedo.

Garcia promised his classmates that he wouldn't wear a dress to prom—and he didn't—and told the LA Times that he has no desire to be a girl; he just wanted to have fun and be himself.

 

Comments (19) RSS

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1
Men or boys, gay or straight with more freedom to just be themselves is a soooo a good thing.

That he was voted by his peers makes me feel good. It says to me young generations "get it" much better than the older ones.

And. . . I'll say (because i have this compulsion to do so) that some boys do want to be (or are) girls - and that's okay too.

YMMV, as they say.
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 10:33 AM
2
who needs appropriate gender role models, anyway
Posted by woe be gone! on May 28, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Hyzenthlayk9 3
Awww, that was so sweet.

I love his statement "I just wish to be myself"

Isn't that what we all want, and should strive for?

Good for him!
Posted by Hyzenthlayk9 http://oystermind.blogspot.com/ on May 28, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Matt from Denver 4
Yeah, 2, because high schoolers are ideal role models at everything!
Posted by Matt from Denver on May 28, 2009 at 10:36 AM
5
Lemme guess, this is an attack on High School tradition, and now prom queens all over the country are less-prom-queeny because of it.
Posted by Mr. Poe on May 28, 2009 at 10:44 AM
TheMisanthrope 6
Eh. just bored by it. Amused that it was by class election, though.
Posted by TheMisanthrope on May 28, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Max Solomon 7
L.A.

wake me when this happens in Arkansas.
Posted by Max Solomon on May 28, 2009 at 10:51 AM
8
Yes keep up hope. This story about the LA high school is an example of something said in a NYT op ed today -- "' Minds are very hard things to open, and the best way to open the mind is through the heart.'...Thus persuasion may be most effective when built on human interactions. Gay rights were probably advanced largely by the public's growing awareness of friends and family members who were gay."
Posted by PC on May 28, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Vince 9
Nobody loves a hater. Except other haters.
Posted by Vince on May 28, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Rob in Baltimore 10
2, can you define exactly what the "appropriate gender roles" entail? Other than having a penis or a vagina, what is the limiting factors in what a man or woman can do, and still remain within your idea of an "appropriate gender role"? Is a woman working, while the husband stays home with the kids inappropriate?
Posted by Rob in Baltimore http://www.wishbookweb.com/ on May 28, 2009 at 11:56 AM
kim in portland 11
It's heartwarming when you hear about kids being loved and accepted for who they are. It gives me hope for the future.
Posted by kim in portland http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/11/fast-paced_video_provides_a_fu.html on May 28, 2009 at 12:11 PM
12
Please. My high school did this 10 years ago. Though it was in Toronto.
Posted by MichelleZB on May 28, 2009 at 1:20 PM
13
@10:

agreed.

Although sex (body parts) and gender (social construction and perhaps brain structure are different)
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 3:20 PM
14
@10:

agreed.

Although sex (body parts) and gender (social construction and perhaps brain structure are different)
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 3:20 PM
15
@2

so a boy's mother wouldn't be an appropriate role model for him even if she is a highly accomplished CEO, world champion kick-boxer, whatever, because she is "female"?
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 3:23 PM
16
My university elected a male as our snow ball queen (snow ball is the big dance here). The rules were "fixed" next year.
Posted by isaidwhat on May 28, 2009 at 3:25 PM
17
@2:

so by your definition, anyone that falls outside of your set of opinions that are appropriate behaviors, traits and appearances of "genders" = bad example for others. nice. Have many friends, do ya?
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 3:28 PM
18
@12

I am glad to hear some find this kind of thing "old." aka - what's the big deal. . .
Posted by trans i am on May 28, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Catalina Vel-DuRay 19
The Partridge Family tackled this back in the early 70's when David became queen and Laurie became King (or something like that)
Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay http://www.danlangdon.com on May 28, 2009 at 6:25 PM

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