Lesbian elected Homecoming King

Congratulations to Jennifer Jones the 21-year-old Homecoming King-elect of Hood College. [AP]

Jones best out three male candidates, with 64 of 169 votes cast. Her defeated opponents are not happy:

"She is not a man," said Singleton Newman, a 22-year-old senior who was among the queen candidates. "It is a gender issue, and she is a woman."

Santo Provenzano, 21, who competed for king, said Jones' selection made the event seem like a joke. "It discourages guys from wanting to take part in the future," he said.

Poor Santo, discouraged right out of the future...

Update: Commenter JR has an interesting theory about Jennifer's election.

Comments

[S. Ferrari]

Santo Provenzano, 21, who competed for king, said Jones' selection made the event seem like a joke. "It discourages guys from wanting to take part in the future," he said.

Oh boo fricking hoo...God forbid people are discouraged from engaging in insipid little popularity contests. They might never pursue their dreams of appearing on American Idol.

[perianwyr]

OK, so the college has only been co-ed since 2003, right? And she's 21. That means she has probably been at the college for long enough to be known. I would be downright astonished to know that there has not been a good-sized lesbian contingent at a college that was until very recently women-only. So, what is the big deal? It seems that the men are the newcomers here.

[Anthony Damiani]

I'm really of mixed minds about this. On one hand, good for her, good for gay rights, and all od that. On the other, I can certainly empathize with the wounded pride of the young man losing a gender-specific contest (which Homecoming King clearly is) to someone of the opposite gender. Part of me wants to decry the process as segregatory (separate awards for guys and girls?), but the idea of "Homecoming Person" strikes me as rather silly. So then what does Homecoming King actually represent?

This is ultimately a triumph for socially constructed gender identity roles over biological sex. That doesn't really bother me, but it doesn't really make me want to cheer, either.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

I don't know why we should feel sorry for the guys. Presumably, they knew who the other candidates were when they signed up (or shortly thereafter). They lost to each other as much as they lost to Jennifer, and yet they're being poor sports about losing to the girl. I don't see why their hurt pride deserves any special consideration.

If homecoming officiants are elected, then it's up to the student body to decide what they want in a homecoming king. This time, the students decided they wanted Jennifer instead of a more traditional candidate.

[Eli]

I don't feel sorry for the guys. I do worry about some appearance of conflating being gay and being transgendered - and the degree to which this could be harmful to self-identified lesbians who prefer to inhabit a more traditionally gendered identity. Plenty of lesbians, I imagine, would like to think that their regal designation would still be "queen."

[John]

This is all part of the secret homosexual agenda. With this homecoming incident they deprived three worthy men the chance to be a king, the ultimate manly honor that can be bestowed on the worthiest of males. Having a woman snatch (sorry, but I had to get it in there) the crown of crowning masculine achievement away from them has made them very angry at women. Henceforth these fellows will surely spurn the company of all females and seek affection solely from the ranks of their own gender. This will inevitably lead to tender moments where men will find themselves lost in the cow-eyed gaze of their billiard partner, Grand Theft Auto companion, or hunting and shooting-in-the-face buddy. Sooner or later we'll have a Brokeback nation. For these subversive homosexuals, it will be mission accomplished.

[squashed]

What I want to know, why would anybody want to compete for 'King and Queen'?

lol.

I mean seriously? If it is popularity contest, might as well go out and be a movie star or pose in Playboy/play girl. (yeah, that is always gather crowd, as I remember. amazing what people will do for popularity)

I mean, that's the logic right? I am so popular I can just pose and make people oogle and go horny. (let's face it, it's all about look.)

winning popularity contest as college king/queen is like winning the biggest midget contest. It doesn't count!

[sl]

I would be downright astonished to know that there has not been a good-sized lesbian contingent at a college that was until very recently women-only.

Posted by: perianwyr | March 06, 2006 at 08:50 PM

I just notice that. So the boys can't compete in probably less than a handfull other boys group, and from the way he is whining, he deserve to lose too. no wonder everybody votes for the gal. haii...larious.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

Under the new rules lesbians are free to run for whichever position they want, like everyone else.

Obviously right wing kooks will seize on Jennifer's election as "proof" that all lesbians are butch. But the students of Hood College obviously don't care what misinformed bigots say on talk radio.

What matters is that the position is open to everyone and assigned by a vote.

[squashed]

I don't understand why the guy doesn't run as a 'Queen'?

now THAT would be a noteable counter move if he wins. I for one will hire him if he wins 'queen' in a girl college. Obviously he knows how to play the social rule better than anybody else from very hard position.

[perianwyr]

For these subversive homosexuals, it will be mission accomplished.

But at what cost?

I would think that to be gay nowadays requires self-knowledge and bravery, two characteristics valuable in anyone. If you just go and let anyone in that club, man, it'll wreck the reputation of the whole establishment!

[JR]

Hood College was a womens' college that became co-educational only 3 years ago, and men are a small minority of the student body. They've had Homecoming for only two years. They elect a "king" and "queen." Who was the "queen" this year? Did Jones and the "queen" candidate run on a platform?

One might suspect that a student vote to elect a woman as "king" has a broader protest dimension- perhaps that the students are using this vote, one of the very few things that students can actually vote for, to show their opposition to co-education.

Or one might think, if the King and Queen candidates are a gay couple, that this is a vote in favor of public recognition of same-sex unions.

Or, perhaps, one might investigate whether there is a backlash against men's sports - college politics are often about sports, and one big effect of co-education is the introduction of male athletes on campus.

Or, if one is a reporter for the AP, one might write an incurious and mindless article.

Come on, Lindsay, you've got reportorial ambitions. Find out what's going on and let us know.

[Eli]

Obviously right wing kooks will seize on Jennifer's election as "proof" that all lesbians are butch. But the students of Hood College obviously don't care what misinformed bigots say on talk radio.

That's an awesome luxury to have. But millions of Americans grow up in situations where they don't have the option to ignore hacky conservative views on sexuality.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the rules, or that Jones necessarily shouldn't have run. But I am genuinely troubled by the fact that every single headline on this points out that she's a lesbian. Maybe "queer" would be more appropriate because it's a term that more openly acknowledges the fluidity of its content - although I think just "woman" would suffice. Identifying as a lesbian involves not only a statement of preference but a reaffirmation of subcription to the gender identity of female. There is a lot of mistaken, heteronormative belief out there that statement of preference necessitates abdication of many of the identity-trappings of one's assigned gender - or, conversely, that by distancing yourself from the identity-trappings, you are forfeiting your legitimate claim to the preference. This mindset certainly loomed large where I grew up - admittedly, in the reddest region of a red state.

I don't think that perpetuating those misconceptions was Jones' goal. But many people will see this story as confirmation. Maybe, on balance, the empowerment Jones and members of her peer group got out of the action outweighs the peril of confirming the underlying assumptions of existing gender-policing norms. But it's a tradeoff, at least.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

I don't see the harm in acknowledging that some lesbians are butch and/or gender benders. It's not a zero-sum game. Some are, some aren't.

Arguably, it's unfair to expect women who happen to fit somebody else's stereotype to downplay the fact in order to perpetuate a more socially acceptable public image for gay people in general.

I agree that this isn't a transgender issue at all. Homecoming is a heavily stylized party. Being homecoming king is like being a parade marshall or a Mardi Gras crew leader. Jennifer is going to get the chance to play a role.

[JR]

Lindsay, you are imagining that Hood Homecoming is like Homecoming at Ohio State. This a school of fewer than 1200 undergrads, and this is their second homecoming ever. There are no floats, no parades. They have a comedian, a barbecue, a coffee-house, basketball, and a dance. Oh, and don't forget the health fair- that must be a blast.) http://www.hood.edu/admissions/enewsletter/january.htm

Perhaps the students voted for Jennifer as way of voting AGAINST Homecoming? The administration thinks so- the AP reporter quotes the student activities director as saying, "We will look at what students want Hood's homecoming to be." So maybe the Hood students are saying, "Dump the king and queen crap -- We don't want your corny Homecoming."

And the male candidate for king quoted in the article -- Provenzano -- is the school’s basketball star. The team won a tournament championship in January, in which (according to the Hood website) “senior forward Santo Provenzano was named the tournament MVP after scoring a game-high 32 points.” Now, even in Division III ball, this guy was not a walk-on, he was recruited to come to Hood. Clearly the school has made a substantial effort to be competitive, probably as a recruiting tool - if you want to attract and keep male students, a winning b-ball team is a big help. And what do you think it takes to get a male high school b-ball star to attend a small women's college? So maybe the women students are saying, “We don’t like college athletes who are here because you gave them scholarships and who couldn't have got in on merit, so don’t force any more of these guys down our throats."

Anyway, something real and specific and potentially newsworthy is going on at Hood. The AP story didn't get it and neither do we.

By the way, I'm sure the athletic department is having fits about this. The mens' basketball team knows when it's been dissed. I'll bet Provenzano's junior teammates are filling out transfer applications as I type.

PS- Jennifer already had the chance to play the role. Homecoming was 2 weeks ago.

[Eli]

Arguably, it's unfair to expect women who happen to fit somebody else's stereotype to downplay the fact in order to perpetuate a more socially acceptable public image for gay people in general.

I think that in the vast bulk of situations, it's pretty obvious that it is unfair to expect men or women who happen to fit somebody else's stereotype to downplay it in order to perpetuate a more socially acceptable image for gay people in general. I think that in a small subset of situations, it might be reasonable to expect individuals who don't have to bear the harm of the backlash or stereotyping to reign their performance in or change its context for the sake of those who do. I'm not sure that this is one such situation - I lean toward thinking it isn't, and the right decisions were probably made throughout. My only point was that there is, at least, a nontrivial negative side to taking this kind of tack.

[JR]

Eli- "reign their performance in"

Don't kings and queens use reins like the rest of us?

Well, I repeat myself. The news spin is that this is about lesbians at Hood. I myself suspect that it's about mens' basketball at Hood. None of us will know, because none of us- including the AP -really care enough to find out. We prefer to spin out our own fantasies rather than engaging with the real world.

[Eli]

Was that an honest response or just a hand-clapping, giggling pointing out of my typo? Because if it was the latter, CONGRATULATIONS.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

JR, I had no inkling of the anti-athletics angle. Thanks for bringing that up. I'm going to add a link to your comment in the original post, if you don't mind.

[JR]

Eli - The Reign in Speign falls Meignly in the Pleign! It was a joke, my friend- get off your high horse, and don't get tangled in the reins on your way down.

Lindsay- I'm flattered that you're going to link, but I don't know what I'm talking about any more than that AP guy does. I think that at a newly co-ed formerly women's college, lesbianism is probably such an accepted fact of life that Jennifer's gay-ness is no big deal= co-education and in particular the presence of recruited male athletes who want to be BMOCs (like poor old Santo) is probably more controversial. But I don't know, I'm just guessing. It could be that everyone likes basketball fine, they just hate Santo (1100 students, remember- everyone knows everyone else).

[Eli]

CONGRATULATIONS.

[JR]

(AP) - While attempting a dangerous back flip descent from his mount (a Lippizaner of the famed Spanish Riding School), noted commentator and equestrian Eli caught his spurs in his reins and struck his head. Having suffered a mild concussion, Eli is expected to make a full recovery, and will return to his avid readership in a short while.

[Mike]

This is ultimately a triumph for socially constructed gender identity roles over biological sex.

Aye. This only goes to show that in the gay/lesbian community, traditional gender roles are still strong and relevent. There is such a thing as "masculine behaviour," and there is such a thing as "feminine behaviour." Otherwise, if roles truly were interchangable, it wouldn't have occured to any of them to vote a woman in as "king."

A transgression of a norm/taboo necassarily recognizes the validity of the taboo.

[lemon]

Otherwise, if roles truly were interchangable, it wouldn't have occured to any of them to vote a woman in as "king."

Posted by: Mike | March 07, 2006 at 06:55 PM

yep. The gender currency wouldn't carry as much weight otherwise. It's just another tangential attributes.

but that boy is still a major whiner.

[John]

I'll always remember one thing my professor taught us in my statistics class many moons ago. He said, "What does one scientific study or experiment prove? Nothing." He meant that for results of any experiment to be considered conclusive enough to constitute what scientists consider to be proof, the experiment must be performed repeatedly and the same results must be obtained, and similar experiments on the studied phenomena must also point in the same direction as the original experiment's results.

I mention this for a reason, and that is to point out that I would not read too much into this incident. Even if every single student at that college were queried about their thoughts and opinions as to why this happened, the results and analyses of these interviews could not be considered robust enough to extrapolate a grander socio-psychological theory that could be called "proof" of any thing. I'm not suggesting that anyone here has gone that far. I am suggesting that before we use this one incident to posit any theories of gender and its social constructs we should step back for a moment and remember what my prof told me: One study proves nothing. I think it's also fair to say that one incident proves nothing.

Having said that, I still believe that this is all part of the homosexual secret agenda, and we'll all be queer by this time next year unless Congress approves legislation to stop this insidious plot. To be safe, we should also include an amendment that eliminates the capital gains tax.