My son, the prom queen: Transgender student, 16, dresses in drag for big night... and mother does his make-up



Classmates call him 'Hailee' and one even took him for a twirl on the dancefloor

Tom Komrowski looks pretty in pink for his school prom after teachers agreed he could dress in drag.



The 16-year-old from Rhode Island, USA, donned a blonde wig and a pretty pink dress before heading to his school’s end of year party.

And the former tomboy who used to love frog fishing and Star Wars looked so convincing as a teenage girl none of his classmates even recognised him.

Transformation: Tom Komrowski's friends didn't recognise him at his school prom when he went in drag in a pretty pink dress



Tom said: ‘I was nervous before I went to the prom but when I got there a lot of people didn’t even recognise me at first.

‘But when they realised who I was, a lot of them told me how great I looked, and a lot of the girls even asked me for make-up tips!

‘I danced with one guy, he knew I was a boy, and didn’t have a problem with it. It was amazing because I used to get bullied a lot.

"It was nice the other kids finally accepted me." Since he was 14, Tom has taken to wearing make-up, girls’ skinny jeans, and tight T-shirts every day.

Many of his classmates call him Hailee, a change Tom is hoping will become permanent.

Girl power: Tom's friends were very supportive and he even gave make-up tips to some of the girls at the dance

He has even asked his parents, who have always supported Tom's choices, to start calling him by his favourite girl’s name.

His mum Amy, a hospital nurse, said: ‘By the time Tom was 15 he told his dad Tom Sr and I he was transgendered.

‘We weren’t upset about that - just worried that life was going to be so much harder for him.

‘After he told us it was obvious how much happier he was and how much enjoyment he got out of expressing himself with what he wore.’



But when Tom started borrowing his mother’s clothes and make-up she decided it was time to help him get his own wardrobe.

She said: ‘One morning I was getting ready for work and I couldn’t find any of my clothes, everything was in the wrong drawer!

‘I put everything back where it belonged and forgot about it but later that week the same thing happened.

Family support: Tom's parents were happy for their son and were only worried that he may face bullies, but that was not the case

‘Then one of my favourite pairs of high heels went missing, Tom and I were had the same size 10 feet, and I knew it was him.

‘There was only one solution, we went shopping and bought him some girls’ jeans, and make-up of his own.

'He loves fishnets and revealing clothes but I wouldn’t let my teenage girl wear that outside so he’s not allowed to either'



‘He loves fishnets and revealing clothes but I wouldn’t let my teenage girl wear that outside so he’s not allowed to either.’



Amy wasn’t surprised when Tom asked her to help him get clothes for his prom and headed to a bridal dress store.

She said: ‘We found a great dress and spent hours together sewing on a sash and making it perfect.

‘We went to a beauty salon to have mother-son manicure-pedicures and on the day I helped him comb his blonde wig and did his make-up, which was great, as he normally wants to do it himself.

At home: Tom poses with his parents Amy and Tom Snr while wearing a very pair of high heels and a short skirt

‘I was so proud of his bravery when I dropped Tom off at the prom, to be himself, no matter what other people might think.

‘There are still schools across America that would have banned Tom from attending the prom like that.

‘But in the end Tom had a fantastic night, a lot of his school friends didn’t even recognise him.

‘He told me later how he'd even danced with a couple of boys he liked - and they knew who he was under the dress. It was a dream night for him.’



Tom is considering taking female hormones to become more feminine when he’s older.

Amy said: ‘I used to think about him getting married to a woman, not becoming a woman, but now I don’t care what Tom does so long as he is happy.



‘That’s the most important thing for us.’

