Quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard happened recently – a Calif. high school elected a female homecoming king.
According to an article from the Oakland Tribune, Angela Anthony, 17, was named Homecoming king.
Normally, I am the columnist that is trying to break down gender stereotypes and afford people the respect they deserve, but this stands as a mockery to those truly fighting for gender equality.
Anthony is not a lesbian but apparently she is fighting for them.
In the article, she was quoted saying that a lot of gay people were coming up to her and thanking her for what she was doing.
But, she wasn’t doing anything for the gay community.
She had no intention to run with gender equality in mind.
“People said, ‘I appreciate what you’re doing,’ That’s when I realized it was bigger than me,” she said. “I gave them confidence to openly say, ‘I’m gay.'”
Miss Anthony, do not flatter yourself.
Anthony won by a landslide, but I think she won because of the sheer novelty of her candidacy.
I look at it from the other side – if a male decided to run for queen, he would be mocked and given the third degree from women’s right advocates, not to mention all of his peers.
Males at the school showed some opposition, but most were quite passive.
If I had been a student at the school, I would have been outraged.
By taking away the duality of the system, she actually sacrificed gender equality.
The principal (who should be ashamed) allowed Anthony to continue her campaign for the title because the school’s rule book did not prohibit it.
There shouldn’t have to be a rule – it should be understood.
The fact that she was running for Homecoming king is offensive to me.
Even if she was a lesbian, she shouldn’t have been allowed to run for the position.
Homecoming king is a male that is selected by his peers as outstanding and the queen is the female counterpart. Nowhere is sexuality a factor.
By choosing a girl for both, it implies there were no worthy male candidates at the school.
True, you may have inspired some members from the queer community by your stand, but you are only basking in a success that you never intended to create.
There is a very fine line between people who fight for equality and those who simply do things to aggravate the system.
There are many circumstances in our society that are very important, pressing issues.
This was not one of them.
So, while your friends applaud you and you swell with pride because you think you beat the system, the rest of us will be disappointed and angered by your selfishness.
If I thought you would take a stand for the real issues at the heart of this scenario, I would be right there cheering you on.
Your crown is in vain and you and your supposed “cause” will be forgotten by next year.
I hope it was worth it, your majesty.