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singularity75InfoBeat - Lesbian prom king causes turmoil
FERNDALE, Wash. (AP) - The election of a lesbian as Ferndale High's prom king has prompted consternation among adults in this small community and a change in school policy _ future prom kings must be boys and queens girls.
Prom attendees were given a ballot and told to write in their choices for king and queen. Senior Krystal Bennett says she voted for herself as king partly as a lark and partly because she wanted the title. Friends voted for her, too _ and she won.
The election ``imposes something on society that, if truth be known, our society is not yet ready to accept,'' said parent Tina Mauler. ``These types of things ultimately will lead to chaos.''
The prom queen, whose boyfriend was runner-up for king, has a more laid-back take on the April 28 election.
``It's high school,'' Kara Johnson said. ``Let it go.''
It's not clear whether the vote was intended as a joke or a political statement.
``I guarantee the vast majority of our school thinks there is something a little bit disgusting or very wrong about homosexuality,'' said student body president Landin Fusman. ''(But) if you think it's wrong, try to change them in a loving fashion.''
Bennett, the school's only openly gay student, has endured her share of name-calling in the wake of the vote.
She's chosen an activist role _ lobbying to increase the number of books in the school library that deal with homosexuality and criticizing the school's annual Peace Week for failing to address discrimination against gays.
``To me, it's the same kind of thing as the civil-rights movement,'' she said.
Still, the fuss over her election has caused Bennett to reconsider staying in Ferndale, population 8,000, in northwestern Washington.
``I'm not sure if I want to surround myself with that negativity,'' she said.
FERNDALE, Wash. (AP) - The election of a lesbian as Ferndale High's prom king has prompted consternation among adults in this small community and a change in school policy _ future prom kings must be boys and queens girls.
Prom attendees were given a ballot and told to write in their choices for king and queen. Senior Krystal Bennett says she voted for herself as king partly as a lark and partly because she wanted the title. Friends voted for her, too _ and she won.
The election ``imposes something on society that, if truth be known, our society is not yet ready to accept,'' said parent Tina Mauler. ``These types of things ultimately will lead to chaos.''
The prom queen, whose boyfriend was runner-up for king, has a more laid-back take on the April 28 election.
``It's high school,'' Kara Johnson said. ``Let it go.''
It's not clear whether the vote was intended as a joke or a political statement.
``I guarantee the vast majority of our school thinks there is something a little bit disgusting or very wrong about homosexuality,'' said student body president Landin Fusman. ''(But) if you think it's wrong, try to change them in a loving fashion.''
Bennett, the school's only openly gay student, has endured her share of name-calling in the wake of the vote.
She's chosen an activist role _ lobbying to increase the number of books in the school library that deal with homosexuality and criticizing the school's annual Peace Week for failing to address discrimination against gays.
``To me, it's the same kind of thing as the civil-rights movement,'' she said.
Still, the fuss over her election has caused Bennett to reconsider staying in Ferndale, population 8,000, in northwestern Washington.
``I'm not sure if I want to surround myself with that negativity,'' she said.
