Since the 1920s, the prom has served as a high school milestone, but historically it has always been an exclusive affair. Originally, it was racially segregated (shockingly, Mississippi's last segregated prom took place in 2008) and girls were forbidden from wearing masculine clothing. In addition, the prohibitive cost of attending has also meant that working-class students have often found themselves excluded.
Unfortunately, little has changed. Proms are still pricey, heterosexual and gender normative occasions, excluding non-binary individuals through traditions like ‘prom king and queen’. ‘As a gay guy, I always felt too scared to have a gay date in case it was the talk of college,’ London-based stylist Will Larkin told LS:N Global via social media.
In order to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in their sexualities and gender identities at these events, we as a society need to completely rethink what a prom should be and push for prom night inclusivity. This is exactly what DoSomething,org, the largest organisation for young people and social change, aimed to do with its recent campaign, Take Back the Prom. The campaign was a movement to create the most inclusive proms nationwide in the US through a series of four activations: a prom formalwear outfit donation drive to ensure every student could look amazing on prom night, an advocacy toolkit and one-on-one coaching to help students advocate for gender-inclusive prom courts at their schools, the creation of a map of prom discrimination from students across the country to raise awareness and visibility for this issue, and a text line with tips on how to beat prom anxiety.
Beyond America, the UK-based event Queer Prom organises proms aimed at LGBT+ people. ‘The school dance and the school prom are still very heteronormative experiences,’ Jules Guaitamacchi, who runs the event with partner Vicki, told the BBC last year. By scrapping dress codes and the notion of ‘prom king and queen’, Queer Prom provides a space for LGBT+ people who may not have enjoyed their high school bash, an opportunity to do things their way.
'In order to ensure that everyone feels comfortable in their sexualities and gender identities at these events, we as a society need to completely rethink what a prom should be.'
