For the first time, a gay couple at Calabasas High School, a suburb just north of Los Angeles, were decorated as the 2013 Homecoming Queen and Queen. The honor, traditionally granted to a male and female student, demonstrates that societal values are shifting.
The recipients of the award, Lilly Cohen and Greta Melendez, were surprised and grateful to win.
Melendez, President of the Gay and Straight Alliance Club, emphasized that she and her partner were chosen “because, usually the homecoming king and queen are the most popular in their group of friends — whereas we are friends with all the little groups of people, and they’ve never had a voice. They’ve never had someone to vote for.”
Greta’s mother was interviewed about her daughter’s unique crowning and she exclaimed that she “is so proud of her daughter she is in shock in the greatest possible way.”