Ariz. colleges shake up gender roles for homecoming
PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona University shook up the traditional homecoming model for gender roles last weekend, when a woman was crowned king and a male, queen.
That juxtaposition, designed to be more inclusive of diverse sexual identities, will be mirrored at Arizona State's homecoming customs this weekend.
Friday will mark the first time that the Sun Devils' homecoming committee will not crown a king or a queen. Students have changed the title of the homecoming court to "homecoming royalty." The move actually was made last summer and announced this week.
"What we are looking for in royalty … is somebody who's a true Sun Devil, someone who represented ASU well, and we realized that gender didn't play a role in that," said Natalie Sitter, a member of ASU's student homecoming committee, which approved the title change.
ASU and NAU are following a growing trend in homecoming traditions at colleges and high schools, often driven by students' support of the gay-rights movement and challenges to stereotypical gender roles.
Kathleen Short, a Northern Arizona University student, said she just did what felt right when she ran for the school's homecoming king. Tony Pena, who had considered a bid for king, said Short's run for a crown that traditionally goes to a male student gave him the incentive to run for queen.
"I'm not the masculine man or the most machismo man," Pena said. "Naturally, my personality and character are more fitting to queen."
The NAU seniors said they did not set out to make a social or political statement, but it was not long before they realized that a surprising majority of their fellow students thought homecoming traditions were long overdue for an overhaul that reflected their generation's support of the gay-rights movement and progressive views on non-traditional gender roles.
Sitter said ASU's homecoming committee also is proud of each of the finalists seeking the royalty crown this weekend, whether they are male or female. The finalists include six females and two males.
"We wanted to get rid of that gender bias and be open to include all ASU students regardless of what (sexual identity) they affiliate with or what their gender is," Sitter said. "We're making a progressive step forward because the culture is continually changing and we want to recognize that."
Colleges are faced with a growing population of students with non-traditional gender and sexual identities, said Jody Herman, manager of transgender research at the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law.
Herman said that college students realize that their campus includes transgender and other diverse students who do not readily identify with traditional sexual roles. Some universities have recognized this by adding gender-neutral campus housing and bathrooms, she said.
"I do think that college campuses in a lot of ways are at the forefront on these issues of gender identities and sexual identities," she said.
Students are "examining the ways we organize our beliefs around genders and finding new ways at organizing our public spaces" to appreciate diversity in sexual orientation, Herman said.
Last weekend, NAU's student body elected Short homecoming king and Pena homecoming queen, applauding them as royalty despite the unconventional gender-swap.
The day was a whirlwind of joy, the students agreed. They took hours of video and countless pictures of Peña wearing his tiara and Short wearing her crown.
"There was this one particular moment when Tony and I were in the parade," Short said. "It was the most crowded intersection. ... I felt all of the students who supported us, all my friends, all my professors and mentors. I thought … we just did something really big."
"My face literally hurt from smiling so much," Short said.
Short and Sitter hope the cultural shift at NAU and ASU, which is among the nation's largest universities, will spark similar change on college campuses next year.
"Now we just need (University of Arizona)," Pena said, laughing.