Newly-crowned trans homecoming queen Tristan Young isn't going to let transphobic conservative comments rain on her parade.
The 17-year-old from Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri took the crown last week after a vote by 1500 of her schoolmates.
And though she won fair and square, the anti-trans outrage flooded the internet amidst her victory.
But she's not going to let a bunch of right-wing transphobes ruin her moment.
Young told The Kansas City Star:
“I was so overwhelmed.”
“I thought I was never going to be in this position.”
Addressing the conservative backlash, Young expressed she opted for the high road.
“I’ve been told, ‘You’re handling this with maturity.'"
“What I think is, ‘What is the use of fighting back?’ I can’t change anybody’s mind.”
Even when her friends informed her of the negative chatter surrounding her win, Young told them she just wanted to enjoy her night.
“I don’t want to think about that right now. I’m at my senior homecoming.”
And the new queen also added she's going to make sure her win will "stay a joyous thing."
“I’m just not one of those people… I like to stay strong. I don’t really buckle unless something is really wrong."
“Right now, what’s happening is people are trying to turn a joyous thing into something that I should regret. But it’s going to stay a joyous thing.”
People on social media took the opportunity to congratulate Young on her win and to commend her for taking the high road amid so much hate.
Young also noted that her community has been very supportive of her win.
“I’ve had a lot of people congratulating me. The majority of people I have seen have been super sweet."
“People who went to my school, but I didn’t know cared about me, like a bunch of boys on the baseball team, were commenting, ‘We’ve got your back’."
“In that moment, I had tears welling in my eyes because I felt so supported. I felt, ‘This school wants me to be who I am, and not who other people want me to be.'"
Congrats on your win, Tristan!
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit