Missouri High School Crowns Male Student as “Homecoming Queen”

A high school in Kansas City, Missouri, is facing mockery after crowning a trans-identified male student as “Homecoming Queen” this past weekend. After the news hit social media, Oak Park High School quickly turned off the ability for the public to comment on their X post congratulating High School senior Tristan Young. 

On Monday, LibsofTikTok began to circulate the news, adding that the students of Oak Park “just got sent a message loud and clear: boys are just better at things than girls are. Even at being a girl.”

Young, who identifies as a female, was crowned over four young women for the title.


LibsofTikTok reportedly spoke to an anonymous parent in the district who expressed disgust at North Kansas City Schools (NKCS) for their “continued support of the LGBT agenda.” The mother criticized the district for claiming to be “champions for all students” yet “placing certain student populations over others.” 

She continued to say that more parents, members of the community, and school district employees need to speak out and protect children from what she describes as “indoctrination” and the “disgraceful messages” being taught to children.

Another parent who spoke to LibsofTikTok felt heartbroken that the girls got “passed over” and had “a man stealing what is rightfully theirs.” She expressed outrage that the district celebrated this on their social media accounts and “conveniently” locked their comment section to prevent users from weighing in. The parent added that she has a hard time believing that it was the students who voted for Young.

“Although Kansas City is a liberal leaning area… it is still more conservative than most cities. I don’t know how we’ve reached this point or how to turn it around.”

Tristan Young. Photo: Tristanyoungg / INSTAGRAM

LibsofTikTok weighed in with their own question for NKCS after the district restricted comments on social media: “If they’re so proud of embracing this radical gender ideology, why are they trying to hide?”

Of the four young women who were “queen candidates” alongside Young, Reduxx found that two of them publicly congratulated their male classmate on Instagram following the school’s homecoming weekend. 

Ginger Jones and Bana Qaradaghi both tagged Young in their posts expressing their support for him. Jones wrote to Young: “I love you and all that you stand for,” while Qaradaghi said in her post’s caption: “… also to my queen, I’m so proud of you and there’s nobody more deserving than [you].”

One of the other candidates, Genesis Lopez, shared photos of herself and her family from homecoming weekend and wrote how honored she felt to represent her “amazing, diverse community.” 

A comment underneath her post reads: “Girls shouldn’t compete with boys” with a yawning face emoji. 

On Tuesday night, Reduxx learned that fellow homecoming queen candidate and friend of Young, Jones, doubled down on her support for Young and shared a post in defense of his crowning.

Another female student, Gabby Barnez on Instagram, said she was disgusted by some of her classmates’ criticisms of Young’s win, Barnez said, “Let’s show [Young] the support she deserves…We all need to do better. I love you so much, Tristan.” 

Her post featured a photo of Young and a statement describing him as a “young woman.”

It read: “As a community we need to address the problem of people feeling the need to invalidate Tristan Young and her achievement of being Oak Park homecoming queen, a position voted on by our STUDENT BODY. It sickens me that her accomplishment is receiving the response it is. From incompetent and insecure idiots, and grown adults who can’t find something better to do than to hate a young successful woman.”

She continued: “If you agree with any of these disgraceful articles calling her anything but the successful woman she is, you can remove yourself from any sort of contact with me. She is more of a woman than anyone else I know. Congratulations Tristan. I love you more than words can say.”

Young responded to the statement, writing: “I love you so much, Gabby. Thank you.”

Though Young’s Instagram account is set to private, his biography, which reads “conquering femininity” is still available.  

This is not the first time Oak Park High School has crowned a male student Homecoming Queen. In 2015, Landon Patterson was lauded as “the first transgender homecoming queen in the school district.”

Patterson was a cheerleader at Oak Park, and said at the time: “I was up there with all the other girls, so I felt like a normal girl. They think I represent Oak Park, and that meant the world to me.” 

Tensions are rising in the US as more parents find themselves at odds with their children’s school districts over gender self-identification policy and LGBT education. Last month, Reduxx reported that the Gettysburg Area School District warned board member Michelle Smeyers’ against voting not to rehire a trans-identified male tennis coach who undressed in the female locker room, citing litigation concerns. 

In November of 2023, a New Hampshire beauty pageant attracted similar mockery and outrage on social media after a trans-identified male was crowned the winner of the competition and awarded a scholarship intended for young women.

Brían Nguyen, 19, was awarded the crown in the Miss Greater Derry pageant, held on November 8 in the Greater Derry area of New Hampshire. The competition is a locally-run event under the national Miss America series of pageants. In addition to winning the crown, Nguyen received the Miss Greater Derry Scholarship, a financial award established to support young women.


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Yuliah Alma

Yuliah is a former researcher and journalist at Reduxx. She lives on the American east coast, and is an avid reader and book collector.

Yuliah Alma
Yuliah Alma
Yuliah is a former researcher and journalist at Reduxx. She lives on the American east coast, and is an avid reader and book collector.
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