Fairytales can come true

Sergio Garcia was crowned prom queen on May 23 at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. "You don't have to be a certain gender to accomplish things," said Garcia, adding that he identified more with being a queen. (Photo by Liz O. Baylen, Los Angeles Times via AP)

An openly gay teen was voted prom queen at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School in a campaign that began as a stunt but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles and teen popularity, the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week.

Sergio Garcia, 18, was crowned queen May 23 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, AP reported. "I feel invincible," he said in his tiara and charcoal-gray tuxedo. Yes, he wore a tiara.

A queen with no king, since Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in that state was upheld by the California Supreme Court Tuesday.

It was all fun and games until a few days before the coronation, when he gave a speech that won over some cynics and led to an ovation and his unlikely victor, according to the report.

"At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes," Garcia told a gymnasium full of seniors, AP reported.

"I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye."

Well...he's right. For one, there's a penis somewhere in there not meeting one's eyes, and that's definitely atypical. According to the report, Garcia assured the crowd he wouldn't wear a dress on prom night. Darn!

"I will be wearing a suit," he said. "But don't be fooled, deep down I am a queen." Ha! Good for him! Although I would've loved to see him in a prom gown...

Garcia said he the fliers advertising the prom and the election didn't specify the queen must be a girl and thought the role would suit him better than prom king. I don't wish to be a girl," he told the LA Times. "I just wish to be myself."

The school has long been a haven for students who would be considered outcasts at many schools, AP reported, noting that one of the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers attended that school.

Senior class president Vanessa Lo said she and many other students were initially against the idea but were won over by Garcia's speech and became convinced he wasn't just an attention-seeking clown, according to the report.

Long live the Queen!!!

Source: The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, USA Today

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