School board member says prom titles should be gender neutral

NBC 2 | By Trent Bennett | July 27, 2022

LEE COUNTY, Fla. – From prom king and queen to prom royalty, that’s what one Lee County School District board member is pushing to change soon.

“I think saying prom king and queen is outdated and it’s sexist,” said LCSD district 6 board member Betsy Vaughn.

This change has been made by several school districts across the state and the rest of the country with hopes to make students feel more comfortable depending on which gender that person chooses to identify with.

“The idea is to get rid of the sexist titles such as king, queen, prince and princess,” said Vaughn.

We went and asked students at Florida SouthWester State College how they felt about making the change. Here are some of the responses we got.

“I think it’s about time,” said Yarla Masell, a FSW student.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Raynie Levoy, a LCSD graduate.

“It’s just a name and just a tradition. It’s culture, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” said Christopher Charleston, a FSW student.

“I don’t like the idea of getting rid of king and queen so I don’t support that. I think it’s something kids look forward to. Like the idea of being a king or queen for a night. I wouldn’t like that being taken away,” said Kytrina Lawson, a FSW student.

The Lee County School District didn’t vote on this, just discussed it, but Vaughn says she hopes it comes back up so a change can be made for the school district.