Texas teen Mel Gonzales was living as Melanie just four years ago, a “studious, chubby girl with an androgynous haircut.” But after starting the transition from female to male during his sophomore year, Mel made history as the first transgender homecoming king in the history of Texas high schools last month.
This year’s homecoming king at Stephen F. Austin High School began his transition in middle school when he got a buzz cut. That new, closely-cropped look is also how the 17-year-old came out as transgender to his parents, posting a selfie on Facebook the same night. By sophomore year, Mel had started hormone replacement therapy and during junior year, he legally changed his name and gender identifier.
But it was when Mel started his school’s first Gay Straight Alliance chapter that things really began to change, and he started to feel more comfortable in his body.
“We were supposed to get a petition ratified to show that there were people on campus [who] would be interested in joining,” Gonzales told New York magazine. “Our goal was 200, and we had, like, over 500 signatures — so many people were receptive to the idea.” This all happened in one of the 32 states where you can still get fired from your job for being openly transgender, or for being gay or lesbian.
That said, Gonzales has blazed paths in one of the Houston-area’s most diverse school districts, with help from his fellow GSA members, who nominated him for the homecoming ballot. He said he wasn’t interested in the popularity contest at first, but then saw it as an opportunity to be an activist, for himself, and his friends. “I wanted to show that a guy like me can live a normal life and still be visible in the community and be widely accepted,” he said. “I think that is an incredible feat.”
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He’s still getting used to all the congratulations from his classmates and transgender peers, who’ve hit him up on Facebook and Tumblr since his September 12 coronation. “People are starting to realize what a big deal it was for this to happen,” he said. Mel made sure to pay back his GSA friends during the homecoming football game, wearing a purple sash in their honor and trying to savor the moment. As he stood near the nine other homecoming court members, Mel tried not to get too worked up about whether he was going to win or not.
“This is gonna be big,” he thought before his name was read, taking a selfie on his phone before walking out onto the field. “I want to have this moment saved.”
For more information on transgender rights and resources go to Look Different.
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