This is the most ridiculous thing. Really, these people need to get a life. They are focusing on all the wrong things. Maybe they should instead focus on treating people like people.
At first, I absolutely agreed with your comment post. Why do we have to have a queen and a king? Then I thought if we use that argument, we're robbing this woman out of her moment of excitement, joy, and achievement. I started thinking it felt like I was caving in by thinking that way. Then a few more moments later, I thought let's just take the whole king and queen out of it, and agreed with your post.
Because king and queen also excludes gay folks, nonbinary folks, and anyone who abhors royalty. There's no way to get around that last one, but why not be as inclusive as possible? I mean obviously the school board is making it about exclusion but that's just because they're interfering bigoted needlers. But yes, to a trans girl, being crowned a queen is a source of untold joy, and having the crown ungendered just before she received it would sting. The solution is to let the recipient name the crown.
Post like yours are what I truly enjoy in this group. As a activist and strong ally for inclusiveness, this group has just been a wealth of knowledge and education for me.
This brave high school girl deserves our respect and support. Her classmates chose her to be their Homecoming Queen. I mean, how cool is that? This young woman gives me hope.
Once again, discrimination is being dressed up as “Title IX” while a transgender student is being denied the opportunity to run for Homecoming Queen. Riley Williams has the support of her classmates, and that should matter.
If students want Riley to run, let her run and let the students decide who they want to represent them. Instead, the school appears more concerned about the possibility of losing federal funding than standing up for one of its own students.
Schools are supposed to protect and support children—not make them feel excluded because of who they are. If administrators are willing to sacrifice a student’s dignity and equal opportunity out of fear of losing funding, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Riley deserves the same opportunity as every other student. Let her run. Let her classmates vote. And let students—not discrimination—decide who becomes Homecoming Queen.
Individual Liberty and Equal Justice mean everyone gets to play by the same rules, on the same fields, cook in the same kitchens and be respectfully seated in the same dining rooms. One people, one law.
Just when I think my home state, Georgia, has emerged into the 21st century (as I did a few years back when it simultaneously elected a black preacher and a Jewish guy as its U.S. Senators), it goes and does something like this. The South is such a complicated place -- a crazy mix of "crabgrass" (vicious bigots) and "green grass" (good-hearted people who are as accepting as anyone is in, oh, say, my present home, San Francisco). We should all praise the young Georgia trans woman's heroism in standing up to the cowardly bigots of Clayton County. I shall propose to the SF Gay Pride organizers that in 2027, they honor her by making her "queen" of 2027 parade.
This makes me so F*CKING MAD! It reminds me of the days when it was nearly impossible for a black woman to be named Homecoming or Prom Queen. (I am proud to say my high school senior class in RI did elect a black Prom Queen and although it raised some eyebrows, it was not declared illegal.)
How can we best support this young woman? Shall we bombard the Clayton Public Schools Committee with our objections? Link is above in article.
No one reading this Substack is going to be surprise to learn that the right-wing's foaming-at-the-mouth hatred of transgender people is just that. If a school had a Miss Homemaker Of The Year award, they would say trans girls had an unfair advantage.
I hate the way Title IX has been weaponized by this administration to harm the people it is supposed to protect.
They've made DARVO into government policy.
JFC these people need to get over themselves.
JFC was my immediate thought, too.
Mine was “oh FFS!”
Excited to hear the district's arguments about how trans girls have an unfair biological advantage at being elected Homecoming Queen.
Hear, hear!!
This is the most ridiculous thing. Really, these people need to get a life. They are focusing on all the wrong things. Maybe they should instead focus on treating people like people.
This. It’s why I always refer to transgender people as “transgender human beings.” We need to drive that truth home until these idiots get it.
Good grief. Just have “Homecoming Royalty,” or some such designation. Elect two adorable humans for the festivities and call it a night.
At first, I absolutely agreed with your comment post. Why do we have to have a queen and a king? Then I thought if we use that argument, we're robbing this woman out of her moment of excitement, joy, and achievement. I started thinking it felt like I was caving in by thinking that way. Then a few more moments later, I thought let's just take the whole king and queen out of it, and agreed with your post.
What would be so incredible is that the student students just went ahead and crowned this woman anyway!
Because king and queen also excludes gay folks, nonbinary folks, and anyone who abhors royalty. There's no way to get around that last one, but why not be as inclusive as possible? I mean obviously the school board is making it about exclusion but that's just because they're interfering bigoted needlers. But yes, to a trans girl, being crowned a queen is a source of untold joy, and having the crown ungendered just before she received it would sting. The solution is to let the recipient name the crown.
Post like yours are what I truly enjoy in this group. As a activist and strong ally for inclusiveness, this group has just been a wealth of knowledge and education for me.
Well, I mean if they are going to deny her the chance to be “Queen”, let her be “Royalty”.
This brave high school girl deserves our respect and support. Her classmates chose her to be their Homecoming Queen. I mean, how cool is that? This young woman gives me hope.
Once again, discrimination is being dressed up as “Title IX” while a transgender student is being denied the opportunity to run for Homecoming Queen. Riley Williams has the support of her classmates, and that should matter.
If students want Riley to run, let her run and let the students decide who they want to represent them. Instead, the school appears more concerned about the possibility of losing federal funding than standing up for one of its own students.
Schools are supposed to protect and support children—not make them feel excluded because of who they are. If administrators are willing to sacrifice a student’s dignity and equal opportunity out of fear of losing funding, they should be ashamed of themselves.
Riley deserves the same opportunity as every other student. Let her run. Let her classmates vote. And let students—not discrimination—decide who becomes Homecoming Queen.
Individual Liberty and Equal Justice mean everyone gets to play by the same rules, on the same fields, cook in the same kitchens and be respectfully seated in the same dining rooms. One people, one law.
Good!!
Just when I think my home state, Georgia, has emerged into the 21st century (as I did a few years back when it simultaneously elected a black preacher and a Jewish guy as its U.S. Senators), it goes and does something like this. The South is such a complicated place -- a crazy mix of "crabgrass" (vicious bigots) and "green grass" (good-hearted people who are as accepting as anyone is in, oh, say, my present home, San Francisco). We should all praise the young Georgia trans woman's heroism in standing up to the cowardly bigots of Clayton County. I shall propose to the SF Gay Pride organizers that in 2027, they honor her by making her "queen" of 2027 parade.
That would be so cool!
This makes me so F*CKING MAD! It reminds me of the days when it was nearly impossible for a black woman to be named Homecoming or Prom Queen. (I am proud to say my high school senior class in RI did elect a black Prom Queen and although it raised some eyebrows, it was not declared illegal.)
How can we best support this young woman? Shall we bombard the Clayton Public Schools Committee with our objections? Link is above in article.
No one reading this Substack is going to be surprise to learn that the right-wing's foaming-at-the-mouth hatred of transgender people is just that. If a school had a Miss Homemaker Of The Year award, they would say trans girls had an unfair advantage.
What a well-spoken leader - she is already lifting up our community and will leave all the small-minded people in the dust.
Thank you for the reporting, Baum.
I look forward to hearing of this school board and school admin being replaced, whichever of them supports this.
There are just no words for how fucking ridiculous this is getting.
I hope that the student body makes the administration suffer.
It reminds me of https://fsuspecialcollections.wordpress.com/2016/10/25/the-year-without-a-homecoming-queen/
Go Riley go!!!