A gay Connecticut teen made local history after being named Prom Queen, calling his surprise victory a statement against transphobia.
White Plains Patch reports that Danbury High School students had initially wanted Nasir Fleming to serve as both Prom King and Queen. Still, the 17-year-old opted for the latter title and donned a rhinestone tiara at the dance, arguing, "If a person can win a title for a different gender, why can’t a transgender person win that title?”
Fleming, who is not transgender himself, wrote on his YouTube page, "Even though I identify as male, winning this title is a statement against transphobia. As gay people, more or less, are becoming accepted in society, [transgender] people are still discriminated against severely."
He also shared a photo of his big moment on Instagram:
The night's Prom King, Rohit Das,offered to share the traditional dance with Fleming, although both ended up dancing with their respective dates.
“To be able to say, ‘Even though I’m straight and like girls, I’m willing to dance with a gay guy at the prom’ is huge,” Fleming added.
He also credited his "uber-supportive" family in an interview with Queerty. “I live with my uncle and he was more excited about me being crowned than I was ... I don’t know if I would have had the opportunity to be who I am and be elected as prom queen if it wasn’t for him raising me.”
The Danbury News-Times reports that Fleming will attend Manhattanville College, in Purchase, N.Y., in the fall.
A number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens have made great strides during prom and homecoming seasons in recent years.
In September, 16-year-old Cassidy Lynn Campbell, who identifies as transgender, was crowned Homecoming Queen at California's Marina High School.
Meanwhile, in Missouri, gay teen Stacy Dawson was initially turned down by Scott County Central High School administrators after he hoped to take his boyfriend as his senior prom date, prompting the school's superintendent to reportedly agree to revise a long-standing policy which appeared to ban same-sex prom dates last year.
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