Posted on 05/04/2008 8:00:02 AM PDT by Libloather
Man won’t be allowed to be prom queen at Park
BY PAUL SLOTH
Journal Times
Friday, May 2, 2008 11:55 PM CDT
Uriel Gomez poses Thursday outside of Park High School. Gomez, a senior, is openly gay, and was on the ballot for both prom queen and prom king. On Friday, school officials said his name will not be allowed on the girls’ side of the ballot. Photo by Mark Hertzberg of The Journal Times
RACINE — A Park High School student who thought he might have a shot at being prom queen could still get crowned king.
School officials have said they won’t allow Uriel Gomez, 18, to stay on the girls’ ballot for prom court, which could have put him in the running for queen.
Park students started voting for prom court early this week. With a little encouragement from Gomez and his friends, he ended up getting enough votes to get on the girls’ ballot.
Classmates had nominated Gomez for prom king, too. He might have to settle for a crown instead of a tiara.
“Right now it’s kind of confusing. All I know right now is, I’m on the guys’ side,” Gomez said.
Gomez, a senior at Park, insists the push to keep his name on the list of senior girls who might be chosen prom queen has nothing to do with grabbing “15 minutes of fame.”
When Gomez learned he had enough votes that he might get elected to the prom court — on both the boys’ and girls’ sides — he asked a teacher if he could stay on the girls’ side.
The teacher told Gomez, and his friend Matthew Harris, to talk with Jim Kerkvliet, the school’s activities director.
Park officials weren’t thrilled with the idea that Gomez wanted to run for prom queen, regardless of his reasoning.
A former high school football star recently donned a skirt as a joke during a homecoming contest. Gomez didn’t see any difference. School officials did.
“The school is standing with the regular policy,” Kerkvliet said. “It’s the same for everything. Boys are boys. Girls are girls.”
Gomez, who is gay, said that isn’t the biggest reason why he asked to stay in the running for prom queen. He was never really given a good reason why he couldn’t, he said. If his classmates voted for him, why not, he figured. Friends agreed.
Whether school officials change their stance, Gomez has support from friends and classmates.
“I don’t think the student voice should be shushed just because (the school) doesn’t agree with it,” said Amanda Peterson, a Park senior and one of Gomez’s friends. “Prom is supposed to be fun, anyway. I don’t see what the problem is.”
Kerkvliet said earlier this week that he did not know anything about Gomez’s sexual orientation.
Gomez did not tell the school’s activities director that he was gay when he asked to keep his name on the girls’ ballot.
Gomez’s friend, Harris, has stuck by his friend’s side the whole time. The two knew that Gomez’s request wouldn’t necessarily be a popular one.
“I don’t understand how people can be offended by this when it’s not their prom,” Harris said. “King and queen is the tradition and people don’t like it when you mess with a tradition. If anything, we’re accepting the tradition. We’re just kind of putting a 2008 tweak on it.”
Don't count on it. Better ask them first.
On the “it” side is better.
A tweak huh? The Left will not stop until they have fractured every standard our society has tried to maintain. They think they are oh, so clever. It would be nice if schools would allow kids to get their education without being constantly bombarded by those who want their ‘differences’ to be celebrated. Kids have enough to do just trying to get good grades to go to a good college/university.
No, you are ridiculing and belittling Tradition, and establishing a new tradition of chaos.
Pity all the geniuses here and elsewhere can't think of a way to stop them.
My daughter, now a senior, informed me that this girl plans on wearing a tuxedo to prom while "escorting" another girl to the dance.
Prom ping.
For some reason this story reminds me of the time a bunch of us drilled holes in the wall between the boys and girls changerooms in high school.
is gomez an ILLEGAL....if yes...the school better allow him to be queen and NOT deprive him/her of his rights!!!
Oh it’s a request is it? Complete with newspaper coverage?
Request denied, Chia-head. Now get back into line.
Ummm ya....I witnessed last night how much times have changed.
What does “openly gay” actually mean?
Since he has stated so, how does he prove that? To do so, he would have to admit to violating several state statutes. Why does everyone gloss over the obvious? Someone needs to challenge Gomez and his status as an “openly gay” person.
Proof that the indoctrination policies of the perverts are bearing fruit.
I see this going to the SCOTUS. :o)
Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the homosexual agenda ping list.
Be sure to click the FreeRepublic homosexual agenda keyword search link for a list of all related articles. We don't ping you to all related articles so be sure to click the previous link to see the latest articles.
Add keywords homosexual agenda to flag FR articles to this ping list.
If he won as both “Prom King” and “Prom Queen” would he be his own date for the Prom? Would he dance with himself as he presides over the festivities?
Later in the evening would he get himself drunk in an attempt to take advantage of himself?
The possibilities are staggering!
Was that a pun on words?
Queen=Female
King=Male
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.