William and Mary, Virginia's first university (and the second-oldest university in the country), achieved another milestone Saturday: the college crowned its first transgender homecoming queen. Jessee Vasold made history at halftime of the James Madison-W&M game. According to the student paper the Flat Hat, "Vasold identifies 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."
Vasold admitted to being surprised by the news. Via the Daily Press' Melinda Waldrop:
"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."Waldrop adds: "Vasold said family members were in town for homecoming, and while they have been 'generally' supportive, some were unsure about Vasold's decision to accept the homecoming title. 'They're a little hesitant about this, but they realize that it's my choice to accept,' Vasold said."
William and Mary president Taylor Reveley seemed unconcerned by the outcome. "I knew Jessee before ... (It's) a little more publicity than normal for a homecoming queen, but it's just fine."
In case you were wondering, Junior Class President Mike Tsidulko told the Flat Hat that there is no rule against men or women running for opposite roles. Students who made nominations were simply asked to describe how the candidate exemplified Tribe pride. And perhaps an example of how far we have come regarding gender roles in our society, the response on campus was positive. Again, via the Flat Hat.
"I've only had people congratulating me. I know that one of my friends was in a conversation with someone who didn't think that it was fair that I was able to run, because I'm not female-bodied," Vasold said. "But it generated a really good conversation, so they were able to talk about a lot of different things."
