School Denies Transgender Teen Homecoming King Opportunity

Sept. 24, 2013— -- Kasey Caron is a 17-year-old high school senior who likes cats and pumpkin spice-flavored things. He’s a member of the National Honors Society and an assistant drum major in the marching band. He was also recently nominated to be homecoming queen.

Yes, you read that right: queen.

That’s because Caron is a female-to-male transgender teen and the school he attends, Richland High School in Johnstown, Pa., says it has a legal obligation to put him on the queen ballot because his birth certificate lists him as female.

That’s despite the fact that Caron identifies as male, is listed on his driver’s license as male, and has told the school that he would like to be on the king ballot.

An appeal to the school board did little to help. The board deferred to the school and, while they said Monday that they’d look into the issue again, it will likely be too late to benefit Caron. The homecoming game is on October 5.

It didn’t always look like it would end this way, though, Caron said during an interview with Fusion.

At an early September board hearing, Caron said the school counselor originally asked which ballot he’d prefer to be placed on and recalled the feeling of inclusion when he thought his wishes would be respected.

“It was hard to turn the corner without someone congratulating me, hugging me, and promising me their vote,” he said at the meeting, according to a statement on The Keystone Student Voice, a site devoted to LGBTQ news that has supported Caron in his campaign to be listed on the king ballot. “I had never felt so accepted, so supported, and so respected in my life. I was sure I was going to make it onto court, and this would be a major step forward for me, my school, and the young LGBTQ community.”

That feeling faded quickly, he told Fusion, when school officials then objected.

“I don’t understand where they’re coming from,” he said. “They know me personally.”