Anais Celini won't let her school's decision to not let her transgender boyfriend attend prom ruin their special night.
Yesterday, The Huffington Post brought you the news that Anais Celini, a senior at Martin Luther High School in Maspeth, Queens, was told she could not bring her transgender boyfriend, Nathaniel Baez, to prom because his "transition was unconventional" and "not beneficial."
Now, the couple have decided to have their own prom and share their special night together rather than further challenging the school. As reported by Buzzfeed, a transitional housing center has already offered the couple their space in order to hold their own prom.
“We are no longer a same-sex couple,” Celini told Buzzfeed. “They need to see him as male and respect that. We didn’t want to sneak ourselves into prom, we wanted to be upfront and be respectful about it.”
This isn't the first time proms at educational institutions have attempted to regulate the gender or sexual identities of their attendees. Last April, a transgender high school student from Pennsylvania had his name incorrectly placed on the "prom queen" ballot rather than "prom king," denying his chance at the title.
In 2010, Constance McMillen fell victim to a cruel move by parents who did not want the student attending her prom with another girl. Parents organized a secret prom behind McMillen's back and directed her to another location where only a few other students were in attendance.
(h/t Buzzfeed)