{"id":53027,"date":"2017-05-11T16:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T20:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/buzzfeed-holds-first-queer-prom-to-promote-acceptance-for-lgbtq-teens\/"},"modified":"2017-05-11T16:00:43","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T20:00:43","slug":"buzzfeed-holds-first-queer-prom-to-promote-acceptance-for-lgbtq-teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/buzzfeed-holds-first-queer-prom-to-promote-acceptance-for-lgbtq-teens\/","title":{"rendered":"BuzzFeed holds first Queer Prom to promote acceptance for LGBTQ teens"},"content":{"rendered":"

BuzzFeed holds first Queer Prom to promote acceptance for LGBTQ teens<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

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Graphic credit: BuzzFeed<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Prom should be for everyone\u2014that\u2019s why BuzzFeed will host their inaugural Queer Prom in Los Angeles this weekend. The event will be not only a fun and rewarding gathering for LGBTQ\u00a0youth, but, in the words of BuzzFeed Development Partner Eugene Lee Yang, \u201ca cultural imperative that the entirety of our personnel, from our CEO to our interns, strongly believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many high school students, the significance of prom cannot be underestimated. Months can be spent planning the event and attire, countless pictures are taken and shared, and it is the subject of what can seem like every springtime conversation at school. Prom is both a major social event and a space to celebrate students and allow them to feel special.<\/p>\n

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This is what it looks like to show up for LGBTQ youth. Thank you @BuzzFeed<\/a> for providing this rite of passage for them to feel accepted. t.co\/1hbWukFF1o<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) May 11, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The significance of prom for young people is tangible, and necessarily interacts with one\u2019s sexual and romantic identities. In Yang\u2019s words, prom is \u201cthe character-defining moment at the end of life\u2019s first act when we\u2019re expected to formally present ourselves for the first time, not only in dress, but also in romantic preference.\u201d For young queer and trans<\/a>* people who are not out or do not feel supported in their communities, the deep connection between sexuality, gender identity and this milestone can be very problematic.<\/p>\n

Many proms have failed to celebrate or even include LGBTQ\u00a0young people. Proms are mired in heteronormative<\/a> and cisnormative<\/a> traditions\u2014the rigid and often forced expectation of girls<\/a> in gowns and\u00a0corsages going with\u00a0guys<\/a> in tuxedos and bouttonieres\u2014make many queer and transgender\u00a0young people feel alienated and excluded.<\/p>\n

Yang notes that \u201cfor queer-identifying high school seniors, prom can present an incredibly repressive hurdle in someone\u2019s coming-out journey\u2014less \u2018rite of passage\u2019 and more just another \u2018night of normativity.\u2019\u201d Further, the intensity with which many people feel compelled to uphold prom traditions can and does lead to actively antagonizing and purposefully excluding LGBTQ\u00a0youth.\u00a0Still today, students around the country are being barred from bringing same-gender partners<\/a> as dates.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch BuzzFeed staff talk about their experiences with prom and what this event means to them:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In response to these issues, and his own experience having attended prom as a young and \u201csexually uncertain\u201d person, Yang began to organize BuzzFeed\u2019s Queer Prom. He hopes that this event will reach not only the young people who will attend, but people across the world. In an article he wrote for Huffington Post, he says of the prom, \u201cit\u2019s a way to show young people all over the world that \u2018normal\u2019 is relative and produce a point of reference they may not believe exists.\u201d Undoubtedly, the Queer Prom will provide a space where all LGBTQ\u00a0youth feel welcome to a tradition and milestone they are entitled to, and safe being their true, authentic selves.<\/p>\n

Read more from Yang on BuzzFeed’s Queer Prom here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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May 11, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Issues:\u00a0<\/div>\n