A senior at San Ysidro High School made her mark Friday when she was in the running to be the first transgender teenager in San Diego County to be crowned homecoming queen.
Violet Ri was among five students voted onto the school’s homecoming court. The results were announced on Friday night.
Ri was not crowned as Homecoming Queen, but the teen did win the hearts of her classmates.
Friday afternoon, classmates and members of the marching band cheered Ri on during a pep rally.
Homecoming Queen is chosen by seniors after the school’s clubs vote in the five finalists. In the end, fellow San Ysidro student Pamela Guadiana won the crown, but Ri was not disheartened.
“Honestly, I’m pretty impressed by the huge amount of support I’ve gotten,” she said.
Ri said she especially wanted to win the crown to be an example to other teens.
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“I really want to be an advocate because trans youth [number] is growing,” she said.
Ri said some of her classmates are still confused by her gender, as she was born a boy and remained one up until a year ago. During the ongoing transition, she started taking hormones in July.
She feels fortunate she has a bevy of support from her family.
She has a motto and a message for other teens: “Be different and embrace it.”
