interesting article.... thoughts?

[aligator]

Personally.... I think this is really cool, now only if more schools would be like this.

Transgender student runs for prom king
FRESNO, Calif. - When school officials announce the name of the Fresno High School prom king on Saturday, Cinthia Covarrubias will be wearing a tuxedo just like the six boys vying for the honor. Administrators agreed to reverse a district protocol this week that limited males to compete for the title after Covarrubias was nominated by her classmates.

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"I would never have run for anything if I had to wear a dress," said Covarrubias, who considers herself transgender, an umbrella term that covers all people whose outward appearance and internal identity don't match their gender at birth.

Gay youth advocates called it a landmark victory for campus gender expression and said they believe it's the first time in the U.S. that an openly transgender student has run for prom royalty.

"We are growing as a society to accept much more diversity in gender expression, and that's a positive thing," said Carolyn Laub, director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

Covarrubias, who wears black-and-white Vans, baggy shorts and close-cropped brown hair, sometimes identifies herself as Tony. Her date, a close female friend, plans to wear a black dress and red corsage to the prom at an outdoor reception hall surrounded by man-made waterfalls.

On Wednesday, officials at the school of 2,700 students shifted course, saying the district's lawyers had recommended adding Covarrubias' name to the ballot to comply with a 2000 state law protecting students' ability to express their gender identity on campus.

"We always want to do the right thing by our students," Vice Principal Sheila Uriarte said. "This is why we came to this decision."

Leanne Reyes, 16, said Covarrubias had her vote.

"It's not like the stereotype where the king has to be a jock and he's there with the cheerleaders anymore," said Reyes, a senior. "We live in a generation now where dudes are chicks and chicks are dudes."

Still, some students criticized the decision to put Covarrubias on the ballot.

"I like lesbians, but they shouldn't be allowed to run for king," said senior Erich Logan, 18, as he stood outside the stately high school building.

A native of Jalisco, Mexico, Covarrubias said she has bucked rigid expectations of how a girl in her culture should behave. Explaining the meaning of terms like "queer" and "transgender" to her parents and eight siblings has at times been painful, she said.

"My freshman year I just started feeling different," she said. "When I decided to change to be like this, all of a sudden I said, 'Wow, I feel OK. I feel like finally I'm being me.'"

She has no current plans, however, to permanently alter her gender through hormones or surgery.

Tiffani Sanchez, a science teacher who advises the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, said the decision would foster understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities.

"Cinthia is still really learning who she is," she said. "We want her to know that there's a safe space for her here and we support her."

Covarrubias is giddily looking forward to the prom, but acknowledged being a little nervous.

"I'm happy I actually made a difference about changing the law and the policy so you can run for your choice," Covarrubias said

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[Trickster]

*blank* Hmm we had a girl....acouple of girls like that at my high school and all the emo guys I assumed we're transgender too. Good for her/him. I was apart of gay-straight alliance...then I got asked out by a girl to prom....awkward....and not the first time that has happened lol. I didn't go any more after that.

[Raverkid00]

I'm not gonna be PC about this...I think its damn silly. "King" is masculine, "Queen" is feminine (hence why all the gay males who like to act/dress/etc. female are called queens). The Prom King should be a BOY and the Prom Queen should be a GIRL. Transgender or not, someone who is female should either wait till they get the sex change or just go on about their business.

Sometimes these so-called "stands" for equality are just foolishness. What point is a "transgendered" girl supposed to be making by running for prom king? Why is it so important now, when she hasn't even made the final decision to become male? I could see same-sex couples having a justifiable right to go to prom together, thats a GOOD point. I dunno about this though, some of this is confusing enough... I just don't see the point.

Why not just create a new prom title..."Prom Neuter" and let the confused or transgendered have that title.

[foxysteve]

So a gay male can be a queen but a gay female cant be called a king?

[Raverkid00]

Originally Posted by foxysteve

So a gay male can be a queen but a gay female cant be called a king?

You know quite well that is not what I said. I said gay males who act feminine are CALLED "queens" as in drag queens. I think males who want to be prom queen are just as silly and are proving nothing by trying, just as this girl who wants to be prom king is proving nothing.

[foxysteve]

Its not about prooving anything. They identify as a male, so why not treat them how they wish? Is there any reason that there identity is invalid?

[a111z]

so can i call myself transgender and hang out in the girls locker room?!

this would be my statement, "i have the body of a male, the mind of a female, and the sexual preferance of a lesbian" lol

[Raverkid00]

Originally Posted by foxysteve

Its not about prooving anything. They identify as a male, so why not treat them how they wish? Is there any reason that there identity is invalid?

Yes, because it is based on an unproven, and in my opinion essentially delusional belief system. Of course I don't believe in ADD or ADHD or any other such B/S so my opinion on this isn't very PC either.

Still true or not, I wouldn't ever argue that s/he can't dress, act, w/e as a male... but there is no reason to take it to a level of social affirmation, which is all s/he is really seeking. S/he wants the spotlight, and for no other reason than to prove to everyone ELSE that s/he is a male. But why does s/he need OUR affirmation if she is so certain that s/he is a male? Eventually, s/he can get a physical operation to complete that illusion. (Illusion because at the present time there is no operation in the world that can completely switch genders and allow the individual to bear, or create children). Leave it at that, but don't try push it down other people's throats though!

[foxysteve]

So where did you get your ph.d in psycology? You must have one if you know so much about sexual identity and delusional personality, right? You wouldent diagnose somebody with delusions and late of self affirmation if you didnt know so much about psych, right? And you've met him before and talked to and psychoanalized him and could figure out that hes just an attention whore, right?

Does it hurt you that he is elected as prom king? Its something that people vote on, so obv. people in her school want him to be prom king? What bothers you about this?

[a111z]

any answers to my question? lol

[foxysteve]

Sure, but only if your being honest. Then again, that brings up other questions as people are unfonfortable dressing with gay people. Thats a WHOLE other topic, though.

[Trickster]

Originally Posted by a111z

so can i call myself transgender and hang out in the girls locker room?!

this would be my statement, "i have the body of a male, the mind of a female, and the sexual preferance of a lesbian" lol

LMAO I myself have a body of a female, the mind of a female and the hormones of a female and the preferance of a gay man can I...oh wait that doesn't work the same for me....looking at men doesn't interest me Oh well. I have to tell you though awful things go on in the girls locker room, scary shit, you wouldn't be able to handle it. The stories I have about the girls locker room.