Michigan high school to have gender-neutral prom court

Students at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon will no longer vote for a prom king or queen.

Instead, they’ll vote for a gender-neutral prom court.

The change is the result of pressure from the ACLU of Michigan and Mona Shores students after a popular transgender student was elected homecoming king.

The school denied the student, Oak Reed, his crown because school records list him as a female.

Miriam Aukerman is an attorney with the Michigan ACLU. She said the organization sent a letter to the school which, along with student support for Oak, prompted the change. Aukerman says she was impressed by the support the students gave Oak throughout the process:

"There was [sic] a lot of students who rallied around Oak and his slogan that someone different can be king and I think the school felt a lot of pressure from that," said Aukerman.

Oak will now serve on the Mona Shores High School prom court.

-Bridget Bodnar, Michigan Radio Newsroom