CV rocks royal tradition
It was not Homecoming as usual this year at Clayton Valley Charter High School. For the first time in the school’s history, two female students, Anna Lau and Veronica Renner, were honored as the school’s Homecoming King and Queen.
Before the two students were nominated, it has always been tradition for students to elect one male and one female student to represent the student body.
Anna’s election as Homecoming King, however, shined a light on the changing times.
“I was really, really shocked,” said Anna, who identifies herself with the LGBTQ+ community. “I started crying and I couldn’t stop crying for the next 20 minutes afterwards. It was a pretty big thing.”
It was a long-held tradition that students would vote for one male and one female to represent the school as king and queen during Homecoming week. As a lark, Anna and Veronica, best friends, decided to post a picture on Instagram, telling their followers to vote for them for Homecoming prince and princess. After receiving positive support from their peers, the two marching band seniors decided to campaign for the Homecoming Court.
“I feel it’s great that there was a change in scenery during the lineup,” said student Isaiah Thurman. “It seems as though the popular crowd would usually win, but in a way, the underdogs won this time.”
Anna is president of Spectrum, which is a club at CVCHS that supports members of the LGBTQ+ community. She is also the vice-president of CV Senior Men. She plays the French horn and in the future, she says she would like to become a music educator.
Veronica, who was crowned queen, is a member of the Clayton Arts Academy and show choir. She is also the captain for the CVCHS drama and improv troupe. In her spare time, she loves to paint, sing and dance. She plans on graduating college with an emphasis in musical theater and wants to travel to Africa to join the Peace Corps.
Not all students, however, share the enthusiasm for the break in tradition. Various comments and conversations about gender neutrality came up on different social media platforms. One student on Twitter mentioned, “I’m gonna say it again, but letting a female win homecoming ‘king’ is stupid.”
Another student vented on the social media platform to say, “Letting two girls be homecoming king and queen is like having lesbian parents and still calling them ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’”
Some thought the crowning of a female king cast a negative light on the school. Veronica disagrees. “We’re a society that’s constantly changing and we need to allow ourselves to change and grow.” Others said that CVCHS wasn’t ready to break a tradition that was held for more than 50 years.
Even with controversy, the Homecoming title raises awareness about the LGBTQ+ community. Students were witnessing more same-sex couples at Homecoming festivities and more felt comfortable expressing their sexual orientation.
“There are a lot of things targeted against [the LGBTQ+ community],” Anna says. “This election brings visibility. The more you see, the more you accept.” Other students also felt more comfortable expressing their sexual orientation to peers.
The school administration also said that it was a significant step into the future of CVCHS. “I think it was absolutely awesome,” Director of Student Services Miguel Romo said. “I think it reflects our times here as a society and that we are very accepting of different viewpoints and perspectives. It was beautiful to see that everyone was accepting of the night and that situation.”
Celine Herrera is a senior at CVCHS and editor-in-chief of The Talon, the school newspaper.