A student at a Georgia high school says that his name was removed from the ballot for prom king because he’s transgender.
Dex Frier is a sophomore at Johnson High School in Hall County, Georgia.
He said that he was nominated for prom king by his classmates but that he was called into a meeting with the administration and removed from the ballot.
“They called me there to tell me I couldn’t run for prom king because I wasn’t legally male and that was the way it was in Hall County,” he told Buzzfeed News.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“The only way I was eligible to run for prom was to be put on the prom queen ballot.”
Related: After years of bullying, this trans teen was named Homecoming Queen by her classmates
Some students at the school are blaming Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield for the move.
In a statement Schofield denied the entire story.
“This school district has never removed any student from any prom or homecoming court,” he said, adding that he would not comment on Frier’s case specifically because of student privacy concerns.
“Just because I’m not legally male I was going to get excluded from something that every guy has the opportunity to be in high school. It was really upsetting,” he said. “As a student I felt I had the right to be put on the ballot.”
“I didn’t think that kind of attitude was even a thing that we had to deal with,” Frier told WSB-TV.
Frier’s classmates started a petition to get him back on the ballot for prom king.
“Not only are we confused at this decision, but we are severely disappointed in the Hall County School Board,” the petition states.
“The two core beliefs of Hall County Schools are outlined on their webpage: ‘The Most Caring Place On Earth’ and ‘Character, Competency, and Rigor… For All.’ The decision made by Mr. Schofield fails to reflect either core value of Hall County Schools and is rather an exposition of a transphobic attitude that endangers many more than just Dex.”
Almost 14,000 people have signed the petition so far.
Prom is this Saturday, and Frier said he’s going no matter what.
