Transgender Girl Denied Shot at Becoming Homecoming Queen

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-10-11 09:47:00 UTC
Topics:

It must have been an exciting moment when Andy Moreno, a senior at North Dallas High School, was nominated for homecoming queen. But it wasn't too long before she discovered that she wouldn't be able to accept that nomination and make a play for the crown, all because she was born a member of the male sex.

"The students treat me like any other girl," Moreno commented. "Why can’t the administration?" Good question. Although it's heartening to hear that Moreno's classmates do accept and support her gender identity. In other situations involving LGBTQ students and school dances, the other students haven't always reacted in top form. I'm thinking of Constance McMillen, the Mississippi high schooler who was first banned from attending prom with her girlfriend, then sent to a fake prom by malicious classmates. (There's now a movie about her in process.)

But while Moreno's peers might make quite the tolerant royal court, her principal, Dinnah Escanilla, comes across as more of a transphobic tyrant for her refusal to let the girl run for queen. School district spokeswoman Sandra Guerrero defends Escanilla's stance by saying that there's no official policy on transgender students and running for a crown, so "Every principal has the discretion to make that decision, and it is a campus-based issue." Well, how about a policy on discrimination, then? If not, may I suggest the district get one. Pronto.

As Jordan Rubenstein writes on the Gay Rights blog, "[Moreno] identifies as a woman and that’s what should matter -- not her legal or biological sex. The principal’s decision, and the school district’s failure to reverse the principal’s decision, shows prejudice toward transgender students." Prejudice has no place in public schools. Send a message to the school principal and district that students should be learning tolerance, not transphobia, and to immediately allow Andy Moreno to take her place among the nominees for homecoming queen.

Photo credit: mel_rowling

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Excessively Skinny Women Paid More Than Average or Plus-Sized Peers
NEXT STORY:
Fox News' Trotta Still Doesn't Get It: I Want Her Rape Apologism Off the Air

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.