In a move that will no doubt drive the Christianists at Liberty University and similar covens of insanity completely crazy, Fairfax High School (in California, not Virginia) - in a move similar to George Mason University's election of a drag queen as homecoming queen - has elected a guy as Prom Queen. As in the George Mason situation, Sergio Garcia's candidacy began as a bit of a stunt but later took on a life of its own and according to a Los Angeles Times story, helped generate a discussion of gender roles - something obviously that is heresy to the Christianist crowd. Personally, I continue to be baffled by why the Christianists are so afraid of gays and any departure from what they consider the norm - I attribute it to an actual LACK of faith and a belief system that is so fragile that anything different causes it to collapse. To me, if one has faith, then there needs to be a willingness to concede that one does NOT have all the answers on a simple check list. Here are some story highlights:*
Sergio Garcia stood in the gymnasium and told the senior class at Fairfax High School not to worry: If he was elected, he wouldn't wear a dress."I will be wearing a suit," Garcia said, "but don't be fooled, deep down inside, I am a queen!"
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Garcia, 18, spent most of his years at Fairfax openly gay and wanted to be part of the Los Angeles school's prom court -- but not as prom king. He felt that vying for prom queen would better suit his personality, so he decided to seek that crown, running against a handful of female classmates. He said it started out as a bit of a stunt and challenge -- he wasn't sure the school would allow it. But his campaign for queen ended up being serious and sparking dialogue about gender roles on campus.
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A few days before the dance and election, the contenders gave short speeches on why they deserved the crown. "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 the crowd of seniors. "Sure, I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye."The audience erupted in applause after his speech, and a group of his female friends spent the rest of the week wearing pink crowns and campaigning for him.
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On Saturday night at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, wearing a charcoal-gray tuxedo and a black bow tie, he was named prom queen.
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"It just shows how open-minded our class is," said Vanessa Lo, 18, the school's senior class president. Lo said that she, like many students, had initially been against the idea of Garcia running for prom queen. But she said he "spoke with complete confidence" and carried himself in a way that made students believe he was serious, not a class clown or joker just trying to get attention. "His speech was great," recalled Unique Payne, 17, a senior who said she voted for Garcia. "I did it because I support the gay community," she said.
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Fairfax High, which is near West Hollywood at the intersection of Melrose and Fairfax avenues, has often been at the forefront of the gay rights struggle. It has a Gay-Straight Alliance student group on campus, and Project 10, an on-site support program for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, was started there in 1984 after a social worker wanted to help a gay student who was being harassed by his peers. The program has since been expanded to encompass the entire Los Angeles Unified School District.
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As I noted last night in a post about my younger daughter, the youth of the nation "get it" in terms of accepting gays as people and as being fully human. Would that their elders were as enlightened.
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