The Prom King Was a Woman
And perhaps made more points than she realized

I heard an interesting story on the radio the other day.

A high school held elections for Prom Queen and King, and a woman who attends the school asked her friends to vote for her, and was elected, as Prom King.

She nominated herself for king to "defy the gender basis" of such royalty competitions, she said. "I'm the only open lesbian at school. That played a big part in it."

What interested me about the story was the reaction of a local talk radio host, Al Rantell, a very conservative (and openly gay) man.

"It's that type of in-your-face activism that's hurting us!"

"I really hate those butchy-dykes and swishy men.  I just don't get it." (Deborah notes: Gee, Al. Not everybody is born as pretty as you are. Why don't you get a grip. (Or should we assume that all gay men are looksists?) [wink])

"She's making what she does in bed her entire being."

"Kings are men and Queens are women, and that's just the way it is.  How stupid."

Yes, the same type of arguments that some non-gays and lesbians make.

He, like they, are missing the point.

The point isn't that this woman is announcing "what she does in bed."

The point isn't that this woman thinks that she is a man.

Prom King and Queen are a rank of status in high school --- the ranking two people of the school. Achievable, under the systems currently in place, only if you are willing to be part of a male-female pair.

You too are able to "run" to be elected half the "most popular pair" in school --- so long as you're willing to be part of a female-male couple.  If you choose not to be part of a couple, or part of a different type of couple, you're not eligible for this honor.

This honor isn't based upon anything other than popularity. There is no objective standard in place such as intelligence or grades or performance of a task better than others. No objective standard at all --- except the one which says, "If you want to be popular, if you want to be singled out for this top honor --- you had best be straight."

Which equates on its face to telling all the students that there is something wrong with not being straight.

Which isn't good for anybody.

It is not good for the students who are not straight, or are not yet sure what they are.

It is not good for (and because of) the students who need that one little extra push to shove them over the edge from being bullies to being violent.

It is not good for the country when we validate the notion that there is something wrong, something less, with an entire group of people merely because they are different from the majority.

It is not good.

Fortunately the students, and even the Prom Queen herself, are being supportive of their Prom King. For the most part the school and town have rallied behind her.

Let's hope they are left to be and aren't descended upon en masse by people who think that they know better than that town and that school what is best for that town and that school.

In Pride,
Deborah

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