Transgender student runs for prom king

FRESNO, Calif. - When school officials announce the name of the Fresno High School prom king on Saturday, Cinthia Covarrubias will be wearing a tuxedo just like the six boys vying for the honor. Administrators agreed to reverse a district protocol this week that limited males to compete for the title after Covarrubias was nominated by her classmates.
Gay youth advocates called it a landmark victory for campus gender expression and said they believe it‘s the first time in the U.S. that an openly transgender student has run for prom royalty.
Covarrubias, who wears black-and-white Vans, baggy shorts and close-cropped brown hair, sometimes identifies herself as Tony. Her date, a close female friend, plans to wear a black dress and red corsage to the prom at an outdoor reception hall surrounded by man-made waterfalls.
"We always want to do the right thing by our students," Vice Principal Sheila Uriarte said. "This is why we came to this decision."
"It‘s not like the stereotype where the king has to be a jock and he‘s there with the cheerleaders anymore," said Reyes, a senior. "We live in a generation now where dudes are chicks and chicks are dudes."
"I like lesbians, but they shouldn‘t be allowed to run for king," said senior Erich Logan, 18, as he stood outside the stately high school building.
"My freshman year I just started feeling different," she said. "When I decided to change to be like this, all of a sudden I said, ‘Wow, I feel OK. I feel like finally I‘m being me.‘"
Tiffani Sanchez, a science teacher who advises the school‘s Gay-Straight Alliance, said the decision would foster understanding of the broad spectrum of gender identities.
Covarrubias is giddily looking forward to the prom, but acknowledged being a little nervous.
"I‘m happy I actually made a difference about changing the law and the policy so you can run for your choice," Covarrubias said.