High school opts for gender-neutral prom court after backlash linked to transgender student

A Georgia high school selected two “Royal Knights” at its prom this year after facing backlash for reportedly telling a transgender student that he could only be selected as prom queen.

Dex Frier, who is transgender, said last week that Gainesville’s Johnson High School was forcing him to run for prom queen after his classmates nominated him for king.

The school’s actions prompted nationwide backlash and a petition that gathered thousands of signatures. Frier told NBC News on Tuesday that at the school’s prom over the weekend, officials decided to go with gender neutral prom court categories.

Frier and another boy in his class were named the Royal Knights in honor of the high school’s mascot, an experience he called “amazingly overwhelming.”

Still, Frier said he wished that the school had stuck with the categories and allowed him to run for prom king.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/435956-high-school-opts-for-gender-neutral-prom-court-after-telling