Cheerless
The real reason Lincoln High no longer has spirit.
December 9th, 2009
BY BETH SLOVIC
http://wweek.com/editorial/3606/13474/Whether she was wild or just a typical teen testing boundaries, one thing was clear at tryouts in April: Alonza was strong, and her jumps were impressive. Before school ended in June, coaches granted Alonza a spot on the varsity squad.
They did so even though it was abundantly clear Alonza used to be a boy. At her prior high school, Alonza was known as Alonzo.
In Oregon, boys may be high-school cheerleaders; last year close to 400 were. Yet Alonza was not on Lincoln's team as a boy. Alonza identified as a girl and, as such, wanted to wear a girl's uniform, with the fitted top, the short skirt and the red Spanx underneath.
And that was fine, according to the team's coaches, Cher Fuller and Tori Cotton, who welcomed Alonza as Lincoln's—and most likely Oregon's—first transgender cheerleader.
