It might be a weird concept to kids that don’t live in America, but for many students that do, homecoming is quite the anticipated date. It’s a topic you might find being discussed in one of those Buzzfeed posts titled, Fifteen Questions Foreigners Have about American High Schools, and if it had not been for all the cable television shows that put the roaring enthusiasm of homecoming on display, I might have been among the answer seekers. The truth is, I never really questioned the idea of Homecoming. It’s just been one of those constants about growing up here in America. 

Homecoming has something for everyone and for anyone looking to have fun. Though the more I thought about how ingrained it is in our school life, I also realized that this event might not be for everyone. Along with the football game and marching band, one of the best parts of Homecoming is when the Homecoming King and Queen are announced. The whole ordeal is a moment of fun and simple competition for high schoolers. Days prior, couples contesting for this title would make their rounds on social media, urging students to vote for them. Then, on Homecoming, the most voted for couple is named King and Queen. The thing missing? The possibility for two Queens or two Kings.

It’s like one of those old traditions that has been more or less great, but could be improved as time goes on. The problem with situations like these is that people sometimes struggle to break from tradition. Though the great thing is, the change is happening. This is where I become so thankful for the students who are growing up in this time. They see a problem? They work to get it fixed. A majority of kids these days are so open-minded and accepting, allowing for change to occur quickly and for the better. 

This was especially clear when Milford High School in Milford, Ohio, dethroned the idea of a King and Queen, and in place of it used Homecoming Royalty to promote gender neutrality for its Homecoming event. And this gender-neutral titling allows for anyone to run as a couple and win the title.

I would hope that we as a campus take this situation as a challenge of growth. Our student body is one of the most accepting ones I know, and the most diverse, and I know the use of King and Queen at our homecoming is in no way meant to be negative, but we could make this a point from which we can grow. We can be all-inclusive for our Homecoming just as we are on our Diversity Day, and more and more so on the campus grounds of our … well, queendom if you will! It might just be around time to pass on the crown.