Gay Teens Elected Homecoming Queen, and well Queen

AliceInWonderland · October 21st, 2005, 06:24 PM

Gay Teens Elected Homecoming King, Queen
Report: Students Coming Out Earlier

POSTED: 8:37 am PDT October 21, 2005
UPDATED: 8:47 am PDT October 21, 2005

CHICAGO -- It may not shock people that a jock and a cheerleader were chosen as homecoming king and queen at a Chicago high school, but some were surprised by which was which.

Jen Wohlner and Ryan Cooperman are popular leaders at Buffalo Grove High School. They're also openly gay.

Wohlner plays sports and went to prom with another girl last year. Cooperman is a cheerleader.

"I guess you could say this year it was kind of a jock and a cheerleader, but flip-flopped positions," Wohlner said.

Wohlner said it may show that her school, and her generation as a whole, is a little more progressive.

Time magazine made gay students subject its cover story last week, saying that students are coming out earlier and earlier.

And the number of gay clubs in high schools has exploded from 100 a few years ago to more than 3,000 nationwide today, the magazine reported.

"It's really kind of uncool to be anti-gay," said school psychologist Jennifer Zacharski.

Attitudes have shifted dramatically in one generation, said Zacharski, who sponsors Buffalo Grove's Gay-Straight Alliance.

But not everyone is cheering about the school's groundbreaking choices for homecoming royalty.

"For us, it's a sad thing," said Illinois Family Institute spokesman Pete LaBarbera. "Something that was once sort of universally regarded as a sin, is now becoming sort of cool in high school."

**Mr. Authority** · October 21st, 2005, 06:29 PM

Quote:

"For us, it's a sad thing," said Illinois Family Institute spokesman Pete LaBarbera. "Something that was once sort of universally regarded as a sin, is now becoming sort of cool in high school."

Yeah because kids becoming more open-minded and tolerant is a sin against god and all of his creation.

Fucking family-advocate dipshit.

Good for the king and queen in this story. I like how there are more gay-straight alliance clubs in high school nowadays. Maybe this next generation is'nt so bad after all.

euro-kitty · October 21st, 2005, 06:39 PM

I think it's great!

AliceInWonderland · October 21st, 2005, 06:58 PM

awww look how cute they are:

a purple crown, how fitting

SVZ · October 21st, 2005, 07:05 PM

umm....fabulous

muchlove · October 21st, 2005, 10:28 PM

I think it's great... a friend of mine wasn't even allowed to go to her prom with her feamle friend (non-lesbian)... she HAD to go with a guy or alone! Like, it was some actual rule they had. Fuckers.

SammysMom · October 21st, 2005, 11:32 PM

Good for them

I just wish more people would be able to do what they did and are able to do. Be openly gay without being shamed about it or having to hide it.

buttmunch · October 22nd, 2005, 02:15 AM

Excellent. I agree with Mr. Authority: this next generation might just turn out ok.

**Mr. Authority** · October 22nd, 2005, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AliceInWonderland

awww look how cute they are:

a purple crown, how fitting

They're so....wait for it.....FABOLOUS!!!!

muchlove · October 22nd, 2005, 07:01 PM

But if so many people claim to be bi or gay, then it will stop being "cool" and different. These things balance themselves out. Eventually it will have to become a non-issue, but we have to go through phases like this before we can get to that point. IMO.

Grimmlok · October 22nd, 2005, 07:04 PM

If kids want to engage in same sex activity because it's 'cool', it'll be pretty fuckin short lived LOL

The fact that it IS different is interesting to teenagers, as we all know they LOVE being different (while conforming to various groups anyway).. but get real: no guy is going to suck another one off because it's the trendy thing to do.

You either swing that way or you don't.. if you don't no matter how trendy it is or whatever, you aren't going to want to do it.

If they want to explore their sexuality in a healthy and safe way, no matter what it may be, then what's the problem? It's better than being a screwed up repressed freak case who thinks their orientation is dirty or sinful.

sweetrebel · October 26th, 2005, 09:59 AM

My youngest daughter is 15 and she just became friends with a gay girl. Actually hubby and I met the parents and became friends with them and then my daughter and theirs became friends. Because of so many stereotypes re gay people, she was kinda hesitant about this kid spending the night. I told her that the girl knew she wasn't gay, so she would not "hit" on her...well, imagine my daughter's suprise when the new friend told her how hot she was!! I told her she wasn't making a move, jsut telling her she thought she was pretty.
She is now friends with this girl and her girlfriend, and she gets caught in the middle of their spats now! She told me this weekend-"gay people have waaay more problems than straight people!"
Guess the point is-it is true that kids are coming out earlier than before. I think possibly they are getting the support that they would not have in the past. When I was young, you didn't really see it because they were afraid of not being accepted and possibly even hurt-now it's good to see that kids are not as mean as they once were....

Grimmlok · October 26th, 2005, 01:12 PM

Gay people don't have more problems.. we just have more dramatic problems, and our drama is condensed into a form that takes about 1/3 the time to get through.

The drama burns hotter but only lasts 1/3 as long