There is a long tradition in high school of electing one girl and one boy to be the year’s homecoming queen and homecoming king, a tradition that seems to be outdated. 

Every year it’s the same; choose representatives, vote on which ones you think should win, then crown the guy and the girl that win. At Manhattan High, we’ve never seen two kings or two queens. Other schools have started making the tradition gender neutral, such as Milford High School in Ohio. There aren’t any high schools in Kansas that made the change, and Manhattan High could lead the way for our state.

It would make sense to have the option — I mean, it is 2020 after all. Plus, why should we stick with just the guy and girl? Having two guys walk down and be crowned the kings would be quite interesting, as would having two girls walk down and be crowned the queens. 

The process would be simple; have groups nominate their representatives, then just give people the option to vote for any two people they want, and the two people with the most votes are now the “Royals of Homecoming” or something along those lines. 

Breaking the standard would be much more beneficial for many people, and it’s not like this would have a negative impact. In fact, there isn’t one negative outcome I can think of. Getting to choose whoever you want and not having to stick to heteronormative tradition that is just no longer really acceptable to keep in place is a complete win in my eyes.

We also have people who are non-binary, or who don’t identify as a guy or girl. Say they win, what title would they hold? Clearly not king or queen, so having “Royals of Homecoming” instead of a queen and king works in their favor. There are many benefits, including gender diversity and inclusivity in the school, something I hope we try to achieve. 

Going along the lines of inclusivity, many LGBT+ students would most likely prefer being crowned with the partner that they would want. It is rather awkward if a guy gets crowned with girl, and the guy is gay. Again, it ensures diversity amongst students in the school.

Genuinely, I wanted to vote more freely when it came to the homecoming, as I knew more of the girls on the voting form, so I wanted to vote for them instead of voting for a guy, which I knew very few. The strict guideline of “you have to vote for one girl, one guy, that’s it” annoyed me, and I was half-tempted to not vote anyway. There’s also the fact that most people vote for people they know, like their friends. Compiling the list just ensures that there is no rule, and students can still vote for their friends.

Many traditions are outdated, including this one. Not having the standard one guy and one girl would just open up and invite more diversity when it comes to old traditions that will continue in school for as long as school exists. Changing with the times, being diverse, is something the school should incorporate when it comes to voting who is going to get a plastic crown and have the title of Homecoming Royalty.