A Missouri high school faced backlash after crowning a transgender girl homecoming queen, beating out four biologically female students.
Tristan Young, 17, was voted homecoming queen at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri, following in the footsteps of Landon Patterson, a transgender person who took the title in 2015.
The school has come under fire after sharing photos of Young’s coronation and celebrating her honor on social media.
“Another reminder to all the girls that men make the best women,” Riley Gaines wrote on X, criticizing Young’s coronation.
Gaines is a former college swimmer who competes against transgender women who compete with biological women in the sport.
“I wonder if a woman will win homecoming king or if there will be an understanding that both spots are reserved for men,” she added.
Tristan Young, 17, was voted homecoming queen at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri, beating out four biologically female students
The school has come under fire after sharing photos of Young’s coronation and celebrating her honor on social media
Reaction to Young’s coronation has been divided on social media platforms: ‘another reminder to all girls that men are the best women’
The lawyer also retweeted a response that read, “I’m sure it would be fine if a girl was crowned homecoming KING.”
Comments under the school’s social media post were divided, with some coming to Young’s defense and congratulating her.
‘We are so proud of you, Tristan! You are a beautiful young woman who is going to change the world, and you deserve this win!!” wrote one.
“And yes, if grown women really feel it’s necessary to spread hate and bully kids like this, then maybe boys are the best girls,” another wrote on Facebook.
Young celebrated her coronation with her family (pictured) as she burst into tears
Young’s win marks the second time the high school has been crowned transgender
Former high school student Landon Patterson won the crown in 2015, just months after transitioning from male to female.
Young was photographed breaking down in tears as she was crowned.
She later posted photos on her social media of herself accepting the honor in a violet-colored sparkly dress.
“Being nominated and then becoming queen is so much deeper than just superficial,” Young wrote on Instagram.
“I have had a very difficult high school journey, but the support from my friends, family and Oak Park has helped tremendously. I honestly don’t know where I would be without it,” the crowned queen wrote.
“Tonight I stood on a field with four other incredible women who deserve this honor as much as I do. “I couldn’t have asked for a better experience with these women,” she added.
School officials emphasized that Young was voted into the competition by her fellow students.
‘Our students voted for this year’s King and Queen. The role of the school and/or district is to honor the voice and decision of the students,” Susan Hiland, a spokesperson for the district, said in a statement. NBC News.
This is the second time that Oak Park High School has crowned a transgender woman as homecoming queen.
Patterson won the crown in 2015, months after transitioning from male to female.
She spent most of her life identifying as a gay man, but always knew there was more.
Patterson’s mother, Debbie Hall, was there for her daughter’s every step, including the parade.