Transgender homecoming queen a first for College

By Felicia Tsung October 23, 2009

http://flathatnews.com/content/71865

Jessee Vasold '11 made history at the College of William and Mary Wednesday when he was announced as the school's first transgender homecoming queen, representing the Class of 2011.

Vasold identifies himself as gender-queer and prefers to be referred to with gender neutral pronouns: "ze" in place of he or she and "zir" rather than him or her. He has also created a Facebook account for his female identity, Kathy Middlesex.

His friends suggested that he run for homecoming queen. Even though he thought that he had a good chance at being elected, Vasold was still surprised to hear that he had won.

Good on him!

It is nice to see people going for what they want, and not merely being forced to conform and be suppressed by society for not being and doing what is expected.

In my opinion, he has done the transgender community proud, and has proven to me (who is only just trying to accept who I am) that just because I am not what everyone expects me to be, doesn't mean that I can't live a good life. He has proven that, as long as you accept yourself, others will accept you too.

That is my 2 cents.

Love,
Dizzyy.

Well done to zir, this is something ze should be very proud of. I also love the use of the name Middlesex.

Good on zir.
Ze's a brave person to even go for it.

Amazing.  Congrats to zir.

I'm with everyone else here in praising zir and W&M for allowing such a thing to happen.

Reading some of the comments on the Flat Hat News piece, I find myself dumbfounded that whomever wrote the story starting of with clarifying the Jessee prefers the pronouns "ze" and "zir" and then two words later ignores what they just wrote and proceeds to refer to zir as he and him. That is just plain insulting and insensitive on not only the part of the author of the story, but also/especially the editor of the paper for not correcting the terms.

I guess we can't expect to get everything right all at once. Anyway congrats to the homecoming queen.

Deanna

Transgender homecoming queen crowned at William and Mary

By Melinda Waldrop
October 25, 2009

http://www.dailypress.com/news/williamsburg/dp-local_wmhomecoming-queen_102oct25,0,4052140.story

WILLIAMSBURG - — The College of William and Mary's new homecoming queen is a transgender student, a "gender-queer" junior selected by classmates this week with little fuss.

In a red shirt, black pants and a small silver lip ring, Jessee Vasold made a half-time appearance Saturday at the Tribe's football game against James Madison. The new queen was greeted with polite applause but little other notice. Vasold and the other members of the homecoming court were introduced, posed for pictures, and walked off the field.

Vasold identifies as "gender-queer," a catch-all term for those who identify with something other than traditional male or female gender roles.

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Post Merge: October 26, 2009, 08:47:29 AM

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more http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/10/25/Colleges-homecoming-queen-is-transgender/UPI-54581256491558/

W&M crowns first transgender homecoming queen
Vasold makes homecoming history at William and Mary.


By MELINDA WALDROP
7:07 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2009

 
WILLIAMSBURG - History was made without fanfare on Saturday.

Jessee Vasold, William and Mary's first transgender homecoming queen, took the field at halftime of the Tribe's game against James Madison wearing a red shirt, black pants and a small silver lip ring to applause and not much other notice.

Vasold, a junior, and the other members of the homecoming court were introduced to the crowd, posed for pictures, and walked off the field.

"I knew I was nominated, but I was just surprised, because there were a lot of other really good candidates on the ballot," Vasold said. "I know all of the other girls, and they're wonderful people, really friendly. So I was surprised."