Advocate.com – By Michelle Garcia
High school senior Crystal Vera created a lot of buzz when she ran for prom queen. Now the trans girl is ready to tackle the future.
At 19, Crystal Vera has already made history. This May the high school senior at Roosevelt School of the Arts in Fresno, Calif., became the nation’s first transgender prom queen.
Her moment of glory attracted massive attention: MTV and Bravo wanted interviews, Fresno’s gay pride parade named her as grand marshal (she rode in the parade in her tiara, sash, and sparkly blue gown), and the blogosphere buzzed with news of her win. For the LGBT community, Vera’s win was a remarkable statement?and one Vera initially had reservations about making.
?My friends would constantly ask me to run for queen,? she says via phone. ?But I just wanted my prom to be fun and my senior year to be relaxed. I didn?t want to be stressed-out. I knew that this would take a lot of work.?