"The silver tiara matched his silver stilettos when Johnny Vera was named prom queen Saturday night at Roosevelt High School," begins this article from The Fresno Bee, about a transgender cheerleader who won the coveted high school distinction of being named queen of his prom. The story says Vera (who stands 6-foot-4, in heels) was inspired by another transgender Fresno student, Cintha Covarrubias, who ran for prom king at her school but didn't win. Vera's name gets chanted when he's cheerleading on the sidelines at Roosevelt football games, says a career counselor, who imitates Vera's sassy ways when talking about him:
When Sosa recounts conversations she's had with Vera, she adopts his persona, adding a head toss and shoulder shrug to her words. The week before the prom, she saw "a student jealous of Johnny" tearing down one of his posters.
"I said, 'Oh, Johnny, how does that make you feel?' He laughed. He said," -- and she snaps her fingers, re-creating Vera's delivery -- " 'Oh Mrs. Sosa. I am not going to trip over that. They're tearing down a poster, not my spirit.' "
Link. Previously, "I'm a transsexual sportswriter." * Photo by The Fresno Bee.