Eighteen-year-old Sergio Garcia campaigned among his classmates at Fairfax Senior High School in Los Angeles, but the title he sought wasn't class vice president.
Sergio, who is gay, asked his class to vote for him as prom queen, and Saturday night he was crowned. Though his campaign started out as a bit of a stunt, according to the Los Angeles Times , it has helped to start a dialogue about gender and expression in the halls.
"I didn't really know if the school approved," Sergio said. "I thought 'Why can't I do it?' I see myself as a boy with a different personality. ... I don't wish to be a girl; I just wish to be myself."
His friends campaigned for him by passing out little pink paper tiaras to classmates. While some students told Garcia that he shouldn't "stir things up," some people changed their tune after a while, and others were encouraging through the whole campaign. Vanessa Lo, senior class president, said his win showed "how open-minded our class is," though she admitted the was initially against him running for the crown.
Unique Payne said she voted for Sergio "because [she] supports the gay community." However, 17-year-old Juan Espinoza, said his classmate should have run for prom king. Espinoza said he was worried that too many people voted for Garcia as a joke.
Nonetheless, Sergio, an aspiring choreographer and stylist, said that running for king just didn't seem quite right.
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