(KSDK) - Parents call it a prank that went too far – a high school student ran for homecoming queen and won. The controversy: the queen is a male student.
Aaron Zaggy, a senior, ran for 2007 Homecoming Queen at University City High School and won. The idea, he said, came from a good friend.
"We just slapped up some posters and did it. And won," Zaggy said.
Zaggy thought it would end there. It didn’t.
"I didn't run but my best friend ran. And she was really mad, she was upset,” Jasmine Anderson, a senior, said.
Zaggy received permission from the University City School Board to run as Homecoming Queen. Voting was open to the entire high school, but only half the student body cast ballots. Zaggy beat the first runner up by nearly 20 votes.
One week after he was crowned, some parents are now sounding off. A crowd packed the room where the Board of Education met Thursday night.
"A queen is a female. A woman. A girl," one person said.
"I would really like to see a formal apology," another parent said.
Some of those speaking out said the issue raises concerns over the school’s handling of students’ sexual orientation. Zaggy, who has a girlfriend, said if anything; he should be classified as a jokester, and nothing else.
"Homecoming is about fun. So why not keep it for fun purposes?" he asked.
Aaron’s mother spoke out in defense of her son, saying she was ashamed and disappointed in those who condemned her son.
The University City School Board said it will review qualifications currently in place for homecoming and prom court.
Aaron Zaggy said if he had to do it all over again, he probably would have not run for Homecoming Queen. He said he didn’t intend on creating a controversy.
http://www.wltx.com/FYI/story.aspx?storyid=54322
