Transgender student Connor Ferguson crowned prom queen at small town Ontario high school

Connor Ferguson, 18, a male-to-female transgender student, was named prom queen at Trenton High School in Trenton, Ontario.

"I honestly didn't think I would win," Ferguson writes in an email to the CBC. "Even most genetically born females think they aren't going to be prom queen, but being trans I was sure I didn't stand a chance."

Ferguson assumed she'd get a few votes, but had no expectations of the win.

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"It was pretty surreal actually. If I remember correctly my jaw hit the floor and we all started laughing because it was so crazy. I walked up and the crown didn't fit my hair, so I had to hold it," Ferguson tells QMI Agency.

Ferguson credits the school's tolerant student body, supportive staff and effective anti-bullying campaigning for her relatively easy-going high school experience.

"I've lived as I am for four years now, so I believe the 'shock value' is gone and most people just accept me for me," Ferguson says. "It took some time for quite a few people, but the school and staff definitely helped with that, and my group of friends were endlessly supportive. I think people accept you a lot more when you stick up for yourself and have enough confidence to be yourself."

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While life as a transgender teen isn't easy for Ferguson — "I've had things yelled at me on the streets. I've even been driven at by cars," she writes — her high-school prom was all she could have hoped for it to be.

"Sure I've had my ups and downs, my fights with some, my praise from others, but with the support of my family and friends, I have realized anything is possible. Being a transgender prom queen IS possible. Being happy IS possible. And acceptance for all is MORE than possible," she concludes in her email.

Last month, Ontario became the first Canadian province to recognize gender identity in its human-rights legislation. An amendment to the Ontario Human Rights Code now prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals.

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