Written by:
Gina DeVries
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this Issue of Curve:
11.7
Krystal Bennett, 19, was crowned prom king at her high school. She lives in Blaine, Washington.
Why did you run for prom king?
Honestly, I didn’t think about it. A friend of mine was joking that she didn’t want to vote for any of the guys because they were all jerks, and I joked, “Well, you could vote for me.” It caught on from that. It wasn’t a set idea or plan, and it wasn’t meant to turn into something political — it just happened.
After you won the title of prom king, a school policy was created to designate prom kings as male and prom queens as female. Can you talk a little about the intersections between homophobia and fear of people who express their gender in a nontraditional way?
I actually don’t think that policy was passed. In order for it to work, a school election needs to be held, and it was too late in the school year to organize one. Supposedly, next year the student council is going to be voting on the policy. … When all of this happened, I was interviewed in our local paper, and the woman who wrote the article mentioned that I was a lesbian several times. But this wasn’t about me being queer — this was about me being comfortable. People who were against it were responding with, “Being gay is wrong,” and I’d say, “I didn’t run because I’m a lesbian,” and then they’d respond, “Well, you shouldn’t have run because you’re a girl.” … I ran because prom king is the title I’m most comfortable under. Tiaras and roses don’t suit me. I have a problem with people being forced into gender categories, and to assume that every girl wants to wear a dress and have roses makes me mad. For the people here, the two issues [gender and sexuality] were inseparable. But I didn’t run because I’m a lesbian — I ran because it was what I was comfortable with.
After you won, you got a lot of national media attention and the Rev. Fred Phelps staged a protest of your high-school graduation. What was it like to suddenly be the target of someone like Phelps?
It was really scary. A lot of the people here had no clue who he was. When people heard about it, the response was basically: “That sucks; what a jerk.” I would explain, “No, you don’t understand what a jerk he is; this man celebrated the death of Matthew Shepard.” And they would ask, “Who’s Matthew Shepard?” It was amazing to see how ignorant people were. … For four years, I was the only openly gay student at the school. I’ve spent four years trying to educate people at my school. I got books with gay characters into the school library, and this year I finally got The Advocate into the library. … I go to prom the way I’m comfortable, and then I’m the target of hatred, and I had to explain to these people who were targeting me! It was a never-ending cycle of them having no clue.
Has the Ferndale community been supportive? Do you plan to stay in Ferndale?
There are some really great people here who have given me a lot of support, people who understand, but generally, Ferndale has been pretty terrible. There were concerned parents calling my school after I won prom king, and it was suggested that I not walk during graduation because I would be “putting people in danger.” I decided to walk, and I suggested that the administration put up metal detectors because of the “safety issue,” and they said no. So it would be all right if someone came in with a gun and shot me, but me “endangering” other students by walking would be a problem. … My mom and my sister were taking days off work to go to the school to make sure I’d be kept safe, to see what the school would do. … I’m not staying in Ferndale. I’m thinking about moving to San Francisco and studying at the Academy of Art College. My sister and I are very close, and she’s having a baby soon, so I want to be here for the next few months.
— Gina DeVries
baby dyke-in-residence, age 17
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