Sugar Land transgender teen named homecoming king is 'inspiration'

Female-male transgender student Mel Gonzales said he was stunned when his name was called to be Homecoming King for Austin High School in Sugar Land. Fellow student, Mercedes Mackay, was named homecoming queen.

Female-male transgender student Mel Gonzales said he was stunned when his name was called to be Homecoming King for Austin High School in Sugar Land. Fellow student, Mercedes Mackay, was named homecoming queen. Photo: Shaelyn Neal, Shaelyn Neal Photography Photo: Shaelyn Neal, Shaelyn Neal Photography Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Sugar Land transgender teen named homecoming king is 'inspiration' 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

A transgender Sugar Land teen, named homecoming king after a vote by students, has been called an inspiration by fellow teenagers struggling with their identity.

Mel Gonzales, a female-to-male transgender student, was crowned at the Austin High School homecoming game on September 12 in front of cheering crowds.

"It's definitely been an awesome experience so far, I've been overwhelmed by the amount of media attention," Gonzales said. "I am very much honored to be a visible representation of transgender youth."

Since his crowning, the new homecoming king has been inundated with requests for interviews and has used the opportunity to highlight the plight of other LGBT teens that have not been as lucky as him.

"I have not had depression so severe it led to self-harm. My family has not shunned me from our home for shaming them ... way too many people that I know have experienced these tragedies," Gonzales told Project Q Houston.

One 17-year-old Houston-area student said Gonzales' win is an inspiration to him as he struggles, unable to come out to his Pakistani family.

"I was screaming like crazy because he's an inspiration to me,"he said. "He went through so much and he finally got somewhere and he made a stand for trans teens, I felt very represented."

The student says some days his journey as a trangender teen becomes almost unbearable.

"Some days it will hit me that I'll never a really be a guy," he said. "I have this bad habit of letting my depression and self-hatred build up so much I just kind of break down. "

A new study conducted by the U.S. Department for Housting and Urban Development due for release Wednesday reveals that 40 percent of Houston's homeless youth are LGBT teens forced out of their homes. A cycle of drugs or in some cases, even falling victim to sex traffickers follows, according to experts in the city, who are celebrating Gonzales' win.

"Any time that we can look at somebody who is being recognized for being their authentic self – it reduces the stigma associated with coming out," said Sally Huffer, community projects specialist at the Montrose Center which runs a crisis helpline for LGBT youth.

Despite the victory by election, some students at Austin High School have told local media they thought it wasn't fair that a transgender boy was allowed to stand in the homecoming king category.

"I was pretty angry because my friend was a candidate and he didn't win and the fact that a girl won over him made me mad," fellow student Ulysses Turner told KHOU.

Austin High School released a statement saying that the homecoming crowning is a student led decision and Gonzales was chosen by the majority of students in a democratic process.

"The students' participation in voting is evidence of their respect for the election outcome, with the understanding that not everyone may agree with their decision," said Nancy Porter, chief communications officer at Fort Bend Independent School District in the statement.

"The students are learning that people can get along even though they may have differences of opinion," the statement continued.

Gonzales says he hopes his win shows that it is possible to come out and be accepted by a peer group even in High School.

"There have been several people I know who do harm, usually cutting or burning and it's tragic honestly," said Gonzales, "I just want to show that you can come out as trans or LGBT and you could be surprised by the people who are around you ... and the way they handle the situation."