Missouri high school faces backlash over transgender homecoming queen

A Missouri high school has come under fire for naming a transgender student as its homecoming queen for the second time — beating four biological females for the title.

Tristan Young, 17, a senior at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, was voted homecoming queen by fellow students on Friday, KCRG-TV reported.

Young became the school’s second trans homecoming queen after Landon Patterson grabbed the title in 2015.

“Being nominated and then becoming queen is so much deeper than just surface level,” Young wrote on Instagram.

“I have had a very difficult high school journey, but having the support of my friends, family and Oak Park has helped tremendously, I truly don’t know where I would be without it,” the newly crowned queen wrote.

“Tonight I stood on a field with four other amazing women, who are just as deserving of this honor as I am. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience with these women,” Young added.

The North Kansas City Schools posted images of a beaming Young on its accounts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Congratulations to @Northmen_OPHS Homecoming Queen Tristan Young!” NKC Schools said in the caption.

“North Kansas City Schools ensures every student achieves his or her unique potential and thrives in an environment of rapid change,” the district says on the platform, where it was met with a mix of support and scorn.

Justice Horn, an activist and chairman of the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission, applauded Young’s crowning.

“I want to pause and congratulate Tristan for being crowned Oak Park High School’s Homecoming Queen!” he wrote on X. “I uplift this against the transphobic comments against this young person who was named queen by their peers. I’m thankful the next generation of Kansas City is so kind.”

In another message, he wrote: “After a young person was made homecoming queen by their peers at a local high school here in Kansas City—the anti-LGBTQ+ folks have been losing it and targeting them online.”

One of the users who criticized the move was Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer who gained national prominence for criticizing an NCAA decision allowing controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas to compete against her in Division I.

“So stunning & brave,” Gaines wrote, sarcastically. “Another reminder to all girls that men make the best women. I wonder if a female will win homecoming king or if it’s understood that both of these spots are reserved for males. Who’s to blame here?”

Another user accused the school of trying to pander to a target audience.

“The fact that @NKCSchools immediately locked down comments is telling,” one person wrote. “They know this is nonsense pandering to the mentally ill. And they want everyone to play along.”

But other users came to Young’s defense, including one graduate who said the student “was my friend.

“I can tell you from experience that Tristan Young wasn’t indoctrinated by a narrative. She was the nicest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of performing with,” the alum wrote.

A North Kansas City Schools official told NBC News, which obtained Young’s statement, that student votes determine the outcome.

“Our students voted for this year’s King and Queen. The role of the school and/or district is to honor students’ voice and decision,” rep Susan Hiland told the outlet.

Last year, an Indiana high school crowned a drag queen as prom king, NBC News reported.

In 2021, an Ohio high school crowned a lesbian couple as prom king and queen and a Missouri high school elected its first male homecoming queen.