Transgender Student Barred from Running for Homecoming Queen

by Jordan Rubenstein · 2010-10-11 06:05:00 UTC
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Recently, transgender student Oakleigh Reed, a senior at Mona Shores High School, was denied the right to run for homecoming king because he’s registered at his school as a female. Despite the fact that he presents as a guy, his classmates think of him as a guy, and he uses male pronouns, the school administrators wouldn’t budge.

Now, a transgender girl at North Dallas High School is facing a similar dilemma. Andy Moreno was nominated to run for homecoming queen but was barred from competing by the school principal. According to Jon Dahlander, a school district spokesman, “The principal said, 'You are a male and males can run for king, not queen.'”

School district spokeswoman Sandra Guerrero said that the district doesn’t have a policy regarding transgender people and homecoming royalty but she supports the principal’s decision. “Every principal has the discretion to make that decision, and it is a campus-based issue,” she said.

The principal, Dinnah Escanilla, is new to the school. Describing the principal, Moreno said “She’s new and I guess she’s just trying to be strict. This isn’t being strict. It’s closed-minded and homophobic.”

Please Urge North Dallas High School to allow Andy Moreno to run for homecoming queen and send the message to school district officials that they should not be condoning discrimination.

Moreno, an 18-year-old senior, described her situation as a case of discrimination. “The students treat me like any other girl,” she said. “Why can’t the administration?” Moreno has not yet transitioned, but she started making steps towards passing as a girl when she entered high school and came out last year.

Moreno should be allowed to run for homecoming queen. She 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. A prejudice that should be corrected by taking action on behalf of Moreno.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Jordan Rubenstein is the former president of Carnegie Mellon University's LGBT student organization, ALLIES. Jordan lives in New York City.
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