In 2020 alone, American society underwent many changes, ranging from an unforeseen pandemic to a high-stakes presidential election. Simultaneously, recent shifts within the LGBTQ+ community were implemented as well, such as the House passing The Equality Act on February 25, 2020, a bill emphasizing protection against discrinination of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Although many of these changes are happening on a national level, they are pertinent to our community as well — fostering a more inclusive environment will improve MVHS culture. We have been forging forward in terms of inclusivity, but we still have room for growth in order to create a fully accepting environment. In light of our “Zoomcoming” court nominations and the implementation of gender neutral royalty titles, the concept of gender neutrality has become a more prevalent topic of discussion at MVHS. 

The idea of having a gender neutral Homecoming court has been gradually spreading across the U.S. as more schools switch to gender-neutral and use gender neutral terms for Homecoming Court. Essentially, gender neutral courts eliminate the gender specific roles that are enforced through the usage of language like “King” and “Queen,” and instead allow the Homecoming Court positions to be more inclusive by using terms like “royalty.” By adopting this model, schools all over the nation, including MVHS, allow high schoolers of all identities, particularly those who may have previously felt excluded from being nominated due to personal or societal pressures, to be placed on the Homecoming royalty ballot. 

Because we’ve implemented gender neutral courts, the possibilities increase — the pairs who eventually become Homecoming royalty have no gender limiting restraints, and therefore the entire system is more inclusive. Previously, when Homecoming nominations were not gender neutral at MVHS, those that identified as transgender or non-binary may have felt uncomfortable nominating themselves or others of differing gender orientations for Homecoming court due to the strict standards imposed by the gendered terms “King” and “Queen” used in the description of royalty. However, as traditional Homecoming court titles have been removed since 2015, MVHS has taken a step forward in reducing gender stereotypes, highlighting the importance of respecting and implementing gender neutral language. 

In addition to a gender neutral Homecoming Court, MVHS has been proactive when it comes to being progressive with the changing standard of making pronouns known and respected. In the English language, the gender neutral pronouns most generally used are “they/them.” There are some that find using “they,” instead of “he” or “she” too grammatically confusing, however “they/them” pronouns are grammatical and can be used interchangeably without changing the meaning of a sentence. Furthermore, language is constantly evolving; the increased use of a few words in the English language is not an incredibly abnormal event. Normalizing making pronouns known is an incredibly helpful step in moving forward as it helps those who don’t identify with “he” or “she”feel respected and understood for who they truly are. Throughout the evolution of Zoom school, MVHS has encouraged doing just that, with certain teachers encouraging the inclusion of pronouns on their Zoom profile name. El Estoque has also been proactive regarding the proper usage of gender neutral and inclusive pronouns by shifting to the use of “they/them” as a singular pronoun in its editorial policy. MVHS community member actions like these have gradually normalized and emphasized the importance of using pronouns as a standard of introduction. 

Everyone is deserving of respect. To expand on the definition of gender neutral students to anyone who falls under the umbrella of LGBTQ+ and those who identify with gender neutrality are deserving of acceptance.

In direct relation to MVHS, according to survey taken on El Estoque’s Instagram (where votes could include non MVHS students), 32 people said they identified as LGBTQ+ and 88 said they did not. It’s clear that a large percentage, 27% in this instance, identify with this community. As the MVHS community is made up of diverse identities, any traditions, no matter their depth, should be altered in order to make all students, regardless of their gender identity, feel included, accepted and loved.