For decades, the high school tradition of Prom Queen and Prom King has been binary by nature — there are two options: one for girls and one for boys. Now after months of pushing for change, students at Atlantic Coast High School prompted the school to unveil an alternative.
Starting this prom season, students at Atlantic Coast High School can run for a new title: prom sovereign. It may be the first time any Florida school has offered a gender-neutral option.
"The Sovereign title has been a year-long work of advocacy by Atlantic Coast High students to make prom more inclusive," Joseph Rawlins, who took over as the school's Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) sponsor this school year, said. "Traditionally the club had been a safe space and social opportunity for LGBTQIA and allied students. This year the students spoke quickly off the bat about wanting to keep those aspects, but also do more as a group to make the campus more inclusive."
Read the rest of this story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.