Openly Gay Man Voted Prom Queen at L.A. High School

[keepCAblue]

How cool, wonderful and delicious is that!!!??? Sorry if this is a dupe...was just published today in Merc News, but prom was on Saturday

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12468527?source=most_viewed


Openly gay man voted prom queen at LA high school

Associated Press
Posted: 05/28/2009 07:56:28 AM PDT
Updated: 05/28/2009 09:52:37 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES — 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.

A few days earlier, he gave a speech that won over some cynics and led to an ovation and his unlikely victory.

"At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes," Garcia told a gymnasium full of seniors. "I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye."

Garcia assured the crowd he wouldn't wear a dress on prom night.

"I will be wearing a suit," he said. "But don't be fooled, deep down I am a queen."

The school, which sits at the end of the rows of chic shops on Melrose Avenue and was once attended by members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has long been a haven for students who would be considered outcasts at many schools.

Garcia said he saw fliers advertising the prom and the election, and they didn't specify that the queen must be a girl. He thought the role would suit him better than prom king.

"I don't wish to be a girl," he told the Los Angeles Times. said. "I just wish to be myself."

Senior class president Vanessa Lo said she and many other students were initially against the idea but were won over by Garcia's speech and became convinced he wasn't just an attention-seeking clown.

"It just goes to show how open-minded our class is," Lo said.

Seventeen-year-old Unique Payne called the speech "great" and said she voted for Garcia "because I support the gay community."

Other students weren't as happy, and suggested many voted for Garcia just to see the spectacle of two boys dancing together at the prom.

"I'm not really happy about that," said 17-year-old Juan Espinoza. "He should've run for prom king."

———

Information from: Los Angeles Times

[meegbear]

1. K&R

[Ioo]

3. I like your sig :) Thanks! - Also, this is a cool story.

Way back in the day, 1993, we had a gay friend of mine run for Prom Queen, he came in second, first place was a disabled girl, who later died :( It was the happiest day of her life, and Tony (Yes her name was Tony) was so happy for her!

[redwitch]

2. Last year's prom queen here is a lesbian.

She is extremely popular, very outgoing personality. And she looked adorable in her white tux! She and the prom king danced the first dance with the dates they brought. I am proud of my community!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[David__77]

4. Good!

It's a stupid thing to elect these "monarchs" anyway. Isn't this a republic?!? lol

[Tempest]

5. These are the future voters who will repeal Prop 8

And it scares the shit out of the aging bigots.

[nichomachus]

6. Our prom queen was the Virgin Mary

Seriously, it was a Catholic school. It was the '50s. Nuns did shit like that.

There were also two nuns stationed at the door of the prom with about 500 yards of bubble-gum pink nylon netting, which they used to enshroud any girl who wore a dress that showed too much flesh.

[rudy23]

7. This was foreshadowed in a skit by The State in the mid-90s

Dan--the popular, openly gay high school student. It's a real accomplishment that what seemed comically unlikely then can possibly be a reality now, even in this one instance.

[xchrom]

8. "But don't be fooled, deep down I am a queen."

:woohoo:

[astonamous]

9. This is very nifty neat! I was just getting ready to post this...

but of course, being the good DU-bee, I checked to see if was already up. It may have started out as a joke, but am glad to see that Mr. Garcia won and enjoyed his prom night adventures. Good for him for his bravery and honesty with his fellow students and good for them for accepting him for who he is and giving him the night of a lifetime. Very cool!

[keepCAblue]

10. Updated article with video link--->

Isn't Sergio adorable?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090529/ap_on_re_us/us_male_prom_queen

[ShadowLiberal]

12. The best part is this isn't the first time something like this has happened

I've heard of stuff like this happening before. There was another high school that voted a lesbian couple the couple of the year in the school yearbook. I forget the school or where it was, I heard it on the news, but only saw part of the story.