MONA SHORES — A transgender student at the center of a homecoming king controversy praises Mona Shores schools in a letter posted online.





In the letter, Oak Reed, a student with female anatomy who identifies as a boy, expresses surprise about how far the controversy has spread and praises Mona Shores High School Principal Jennifer Bustard as “a wonderful woman, principal and friend.”

The letter also details ways the school has accommodated Reed, including special accommodations at band camp and in school gym class.

Reed gained worldwide attention via the Internet after Mona Shores officials discarded homecoming ballots on which students had voted for Reed as king. Officials explained that rules informed students to vote for boys as king, and that Reed is enrolled at the school as a female.

An “

” Facebook page gained thousands of members from around the world in a matter of days — and currently has more than 11,500 members. The Internet was filled with comments on the controversy that included those who favored the school district’s actions and those who felt it violated Reed’s rights.

“Consequently, this has been very overwhelming and hard on my personal life,” Reed wrote in the letter.

The letter was posted on another Facebook page,

, by a friend of Reed, who goes by the formal name Oakleigh Marshall Reed. It asks that the momentum gained by the controversy move toward a push for rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and “away from the homecoming situation.”

“I want everyone to know from me that I did not do this for attention or what they say ‘5 minutes of fame,’” Reed wrote. “I honestly didn’t even think this story would leave my community.”

The Mona Shores senior praises the school in a section of the letter addressed “To Mona Shores.”

“My intention was to never degrade the quality of our school district or make the students, teachers or administrators look bad, weak or malicious. I want everyone to know that I have the (utmost) respect for the school board, for they have worked with me to help make my high school experience as smooth as possible.”

Among the accommodations the school district has made, according to the letter, are allowing Reed to wear the tuxedo worn by male students for band performances and a navy blue cap and gown for graduation, also worn by boys. The letter also notes that the district “kindly offered” to have Reed to stay in a single cabin at band camp, and that officials “tried with all their might to eliminate the awkwardness of rooming with females.”

In addition, the district is working to set up an online course for Reed to take gym, eliminating the issue of locker rooms.

Mona Shores Superintendent Terry Babbitt said the school district strives to “meet individual student needs.”

“The school district — in particular the high school, that deals with more young adult issues — has a rich history of providing a caring, nurturing and accepting environment,” Babbitt said. “I’m pleased when students verify that that’s the kind of culture at the high school.”

Reed said that while officials made a “bad decision” regarding homecoming, the district remains “a very nurturing environment.”

“Please respect my words, for I have thought about them for a while,” Reed wrote.

E-mail Lynn Moore at

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