Madison West High School in Wisconsin is having a homecoming ceremony where neither a king nor a queen will be crowned. Instead of the homecoming court being made up of the traditional 10 men and 10 women being on court it will be the top 20 vote getters in the school, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
There is the obvious potential that the winners could be both male or both female. Principal Beth Thompson is supportive of the homecoming switch saying, “I think this gets us closer on a whole variety of fronts to making each and every student in our building feel like a valued, recognized member of our community.” (RELATED: This Week In Transgender High Schoolers Running For Homecoming King, Queen, Whatever)
The switch was spurred by a student petition that garnered almost 1000 signatures, close to half the school’s enrollment.
Kingsley-Reine Pissang, president of the student council, believes that this move by Madison West High School has a great idea that has been met with “overwhelming support” saying, “It was along the lines of ‘If we’re not going to do the traditional thing, what are we going to do?’” (RELATED: Thrill Of Victory, Agony Of Defeat For Transgender Homecoming Candidates)
Kate Scholz, a student council member and president of the Student Support Foundation, also supports the change because it means students aren’t forced to pick a gender. “No one should be forced to do that. This is a change that is unlikely to affect a lot of people, but the people it does affect, it affects in a really powerful way,” Scholz told the Wisconsin State Journal
One student who feels this way is junior Arwen Sadler. “Sometimes I identify as a girl, sometimes as a boy. For me personally to have this statement from the school is really affirming and validating,” Sadler said.
The finalists will be announced on Tuesday.