Rebeca Arellano, Lesbian High School Student, Crowned Homecoming King (VIDEO)

"They were chanting my name and it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had," Rebeca Arellano told KGTV.

The experience in question? A pep rally at Patrick Henry High School on Friday, where she was crowned the school's first lesbian homecoming King.

Arellano's girfriend, Haileigh Adams, was also nominated for homecoming queen, the results of which will be revealed at Saturday night's dance.

Adams told the station that her girlfriend's crowning, and the support of the school, friends, and family, has meant a lot to the LGBT community.

"The fact that other people are feeling more confident about themselves or feeling like they might have a chance at doing this, it's opening doors," Haileigh told KGTV.

Adams and Arellano aren't alone. A few months ago, Francis Shervinski, a freshman gay man, became Columbia College's first homecoming queen.

According to the Windy City Times, like Arellano and Adams, Shervinski, sees the opportunity as a way to "promote positivity, acceptance, and being yourself."

In more happy homecoming news, earlier this month Mariah Slick became the first Azle High School homecoming queen with Down syndrome.

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Comments

[Camille Harrah]

04:56 PM on 12/28/2011

Some girls are dating in high school, their peers approve, and that's great, but half of these comments are acting like it's the end of the world. Why so fixated on the lives of teenagers, guys?

[darlenebonny]

11:39 AM on 12/09/2011

I like this, puts us in a good light. Nice young lady who happens to be a lesbian, works hard I bet at school to make something of her self. Take all sex and other junk out of it and all you have is a good person.

[Dr Dee]

09:57 PM on 12/25/2011

All good people will burst hell wide open. Being good and being right are two different things.

[Rooster Coburn]

10:31 PM on 12/25/2011

When people come out and say that they're gay I always like to respond like this: "I doubt you're really gay. You probably just THINK you are."

[author123]

06:07 PM on 11/21/2011

YOU ARE ALL INSANE! Calling good evil and evil good. Isaiah the prophet spoke of this, thousands of years ago. Don't get angry at me, He said it was wrong. But you proceed, with confidence, not acknowledging the wrath of the Almighty. Go ahead, laugh, scorn and dismiss; But you were told. God be merciful to you.

[benjigurly8807]

02:09 AM on 12/13/2011

And this is why a lot of us do not believe in your "GOD" ... according to most of you he seems very intolerant and hateful! I am BISEXUAL AND PROUD if your "GOD" dont like it thats his problem NOT MINE... and if you are just going to be a thorn in everyone who enjoys seeing the LGBT community get a break ... READ SOMETHING ELSE!!!

[Dr Dee]

08:23 PM on 12/25/2011

It will be YOUR problem when you close your eyes in death and have to stand before Him as Judge. I will pray for your deliverance and that you will come to the revelation knowledge of the Truth. I pray that someone somewhere can reach you with the Words of Life that only God, through Jesus, can give you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! You are still the reason for the season!

[Dr Dee]

09:33 PM on 12/25/2011

BTW, God id not intolerant or hateful. God is love. His very nature is Love. He loves you and He desires a relationship with you. If you listen, I mean really listen with your heart, you know that I am telling you the truth. He wants you to know He as your best Friend. He is Love and in Him there is no darkness at all. He is longggsuffering. That means He will put up with our mess for a long time. But don't be deceived, He is also the Just God, too. God loves sinners but He hates sin. I am a sinner, saved from eternal damnation, through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I am not ashamed of the Good News of Jesus the Christ. MERRY CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY. AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN OUR LORD!

[Ioan Lightoller]

08:13 AM on 11/02/2011

Apparently the young ladies are now being bombarded by hate mail:

http://www.shewired.com/lifestyle/2011/11/01/lesbian-homecoming-king-and-queen-couple-bombarded-hate-mail

[Trekkiefandom]

11:51 PM on 11/03/2011

What else do you expect from America?

[CabCurious]

05:02 AM on 11/02/2011

I'm really happy about this story.

But there's also a part of me that feels like... homecoming King is about sex, not gender. I mean, how can guys compete with cute and cool lesbians in the long-term? It's just not fair!!!

Girls are going to completely dominate BOTH king and queen competitions.

It's not fair!

[cwebster]

11:04 PM on 11/01/2011

What's really nice about this story is that the two girls were elected. Looks like their schoolmates aren't saddled by prejudices.

[iknowscottyknows]

08:29 PM on 11/02/2011

Or intelligence.

[cwebster]

03:08 AM on 11/03/2011

The pot speaks...

[bird2129]

01:01 PM on 11/01/2011

This makes me think of a conversation I had with my 9 year old nephew. We talked about a student of mine who has two moms or two dads. He goes..."So? Who cares?" Just goes to show young people are becoming more and more accepting. Great!!

[iknowscottyknows]

08:46 PM on 11/01/2011

Lacking discernment shouldn't be a source of pride.

[bird2129]

09:45 PM on 11/01/2011

It's not lacking discernment. It's being raised to accept other people. And that, in my opinion, is a source of pride. A little acceptance in this world could go a long way.

[cwebster]

11:04 PM on 11/01/2011

...and SOME people should not take pride in ignorance...

[Dr Dee]

09:59 PM on 12/25/2011

So he's gay?

[crabbyman36]

12:18 PM on 11/01/2011

So, what's that say about the male members of that school? They aren't as masculine as a pretty girl who prefers the beaver? What a sad state of affairs for our nation when men don't want to be masculine, and women don't want to be feminine. Maybe it would have been better if she were homecoming princess. She is pretty cute, but not king.

[EmmaDarian]

01:15 PM on 11/01/2011

Good grief. What this says is that two young women wanted the same chance to be elected to homecoming court as a couple that straight couples have and have always been able to. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was to run under the only two separate categories available. The student body voted to elect the couple they wanted.

But thanks for the peek into your psyche. I need to go shower now with bleach and Brillo.

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:51 AM on 11/02/2011

Think I might grab some copper wool and Clorox myself. Yecch.

[AudreyLee]

05:25 PM on 11/02/2011

Wow. Wow. You are really something. Just...no.

[kathyctv]

09:50 PM on 10/31/2011

thats so awesome

[Dr Dee]

10:01 PM on 12/25/2011

Really? Yuck. It's awful. No, it's just plain nasty!

[iknowscottyknows]

08:33 PM on 10/31/2011

Every small minority group displaying aberrant behavior wishes to be seen as normal.

To agree is pretense. To disagree is common sense.

[Ioan Lightoller]

10:43 PM on 10/31/2011

No it's not. To agreee is to shout out a resounding "NO!" to bigotry.

[iknowscottyknows]

12:54 AM on 11/01/2011

There are certainly many people who, because of indoctrination or intellectual inability, are unable to hear a differing opinion without labeling it “hate” or “bigotry.”

And congrats to the resounding YES to pretense and NO to reality.

[persuter]

05:22 PM on 11/01/2011

"Every small minority group displaying aberrant behavior wishes to be seen as normal."

Mmm. Reminds me of early Christians. They worshipped a convicted and executed criminal, a person who was seen as so evil at the time that society chose to let a convicted murderer go rather than spare his life. Yet they wanted to be seen as a normal religion - can you imagine? Even as they met in secret and used special code words and symbols to identify each other.

[iknowscottyknows]

08:34 PM on 11/01/2011

You misread history and the bible, which tells us that as Christians we should expect the world to hate us, as it did Jesus, for they love the darkness and hate the light.

This story is reflective of that truth.

[Dr Dee]

06:31 PM on 12/25/2011

And what is your point? I am a Christian and I agree with persuter. Just my opinion. not prejudice or secret. I don't have a problem with people being or doing whatever they want to do in the privacy of their bedroom. It's their business. I do have a problem with people forcing me to accept a lifestyle that conflicts with my belief system. This agenda being forced on everybody is still a minority position. I don't get it.

[samknox]

08:03 PM on 10/31/2011

She's awfully cute.

I'll bet the boys at Patrick Henry are wishing she didn't play for the other team.

[Alan C Rhine]

06:46 PM on 10/31/2011

WHY DIDN'T THEY !!!! Cause call them what it was two QUEENS or one QUEEN and one DRAG QUEEN SAD SAD SAD !!!!! What is this world coming too defiant behavior is acceptable????

[EmmaDarian]

07:16 PM on 10/31/2011

Yes, it was defiant behavior. This student body defied tradition and gave a same-sex couple the same chance to be elected to homecoming court that opposite-sex couples have always had.

Kudos to the student body and to the two lovely young women.

[arglebargle]

10:01 PM on 11/02/2011

And kudos to Freudian-slip typos as well.

[samknox]

08:05 PM on 10/31/2011

Unwad your knickers, Alan.

It's just a couple of high school kids, not the end of civilization as we know it.

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:46 PM on 10/31/2011

You don't know that. Youth are a lot smarter than bigots like you would like to give them credit for.

[Charlie Feather]

01:18 AM on 11/02/2011

Bigot yourself!

[AudreyLee]

01:03 PM on 11/02/2011

Thanks, Ioan, :)

[onionboy]

05:19 PM on 10/31/2011

They voted for someone they admired for having the courage to stand up and not be ashamed, even when bigots in society think she should.

[Charlie Feather]

01:21 AM on 11/02/2011

These kids are completely lost and haven’t a clue of where they are going or where they are being led.

[Charlie Feather]

03:54 PM on 10/31/2011

I hear stories about how this generation of children and the following will be saddled with debts and lower standards of living than their parents enjoyed and all sorts of other problems…… And I think how richly they will deserve their fate.

[EmmaDarian]

04:04 PM on 10/31/2011

In other words, you wish ill on an entire generation because you're unhappy with the outcome of a homecoming court election.

Stamp that foot! Stick out that lower lip!

[Charlie Feather]

04:55 PM on 10/31/2011

In other words, I’m just amazed and delighted at how things work out so well, and how justice is eventually served. Saddam Hussein got his, Bin Laden got his, Gaddafi got his, and this generation will eventually get theirs.

There is a poetic beauty to life, is there not?

[snack cakes]

04:23 PM on 10/31/2011

I agree.

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:33 PM on 10/31/2011

How about living your life as YOU see fit and not put down or try to interfere in the lives of those who are living theirs?

[anon004]

11:44 PM on 10/31/2011

Tweedledumb and Tweedeldumber.

[Waterlooboy]

03:25 PM on 10/31/2011

Weird. King should be male. Queen should be female. It's not like their a real couple. They are in a sense running for two separate offices. It doesn't matter their sexual orientation.

[EmmaDarian]

03:48 PM on 10/31/2011

Are you saying that the two young women aren't a real couple (they are) or that Homecoming King and Queen doesn't signify a couple (imo, that's exactly what it does)?

[Dr Dee]

08:27 PM on 12/25/2011

If they can not reproduce without outside intervention they are not a "real" couple capable of coupling. They are confused.

[Ioan Lightoller]

03:52 PM on 10/31/2011

No, they ARE a couple. This is why the school voted this way. Is a "real couple" only heterosexual. If you think that then you have much to learn.

[Dr Dee]

06:36 PM on 12/25/2011

Didn't learn anything from Sodom and Gomorrah? God Help America, please.