Lesbian couple crowned prom king and queen for first time in school district

A lesbian couple have been crowned prom king and queen for the first time in their school district.

Annie Wise and Riley Loudermilk, who are both 18, received the accolade at Kings High School in the Kings Local School District in Ohio, America.

Speaking to Today, Wise said they were surprised to have won. She said: “It was so cool — it was like loud screaming, lots of tears.

“My crown fell off and it broke. There was a lot going on, but it’s something I’ll never forget. It was amazing,” she added.

Loudermilk added: “Usually prom king and queen is like a popularity contest, and neither of us are really on that popularity spectrum.”

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The couple has been together for six months, and following their success, the district poste a photo of the couple on Facebook, which was shared widely.

Many commented to express their support for the couple and Wise said: “I’ve gotten people from our school saying that they’re more comfortable being gay at Kings. It made it all worth it.”

However, they did receive some negative comments and a parent is reported to have raised the ‘issue’ at a school board meeting.

Loudermilk said: “It also just was kind of surprising that a bunch of adults were bashing teenagers.”

“I just think it’s weird that somebody who’s old enough to be my mom is so worried about my genitalia and what’s in my pants. I think that’s more concerning than having a gay couple win prom, obviously.”

But school officials stood by the decision. “This is solely a Kings High School senior class nominated and voted-on initiative,” said Dawn Goulding, a community relations coordinator for the school district, according to WLWT5.

“I do hope it kind of just helps people realize that it’s OK to come out, and it’s also OK to come out at your own pace in your own way,” Loudermilk said. “You will get hate from it, but there’s also a really big chance that you’re going to get so much love and support like we did.”