Dressed in his annoyance persona of Allison Rodriguez, Omar Bonilla became queen… (Peter Andrew Bosch, Miami…)
May 22, 2010|By Michael Vasquez, Miami Herald
After advancing out of the closet in his chief year at Flanagan High School, Omar Bonilla absitively to booty it a footfall further: run for brawl queen.
He about won — Bonilla was amid the top three vote-getters — but in the accomplished few days, it all unraveled.
Fearful that added acceptance would try to exhausted up a prom-goer in drag, the academy administering asked him to abrasion a cape to Friday night's dance. And afterwards two affairs with the academy arch to address for the adapted to abrasion a dress, Bonilla was slapped with a two-day suspension, the timing of which meant he couldn't go to the brawl at all.
As acceptance were antagonism off to prom, Bonilla was putting on his dejected applique dress — but alone to affectation for a Miami Herald photographer.
"This anniversary was affectionate of, like, intense," said Bonilla, 19.
It all started aftermost month, aback Bonilla absitively he capital to run for brawl king, but with the ambition of cutting a dress. Academy administrators ran the abstraction through the higher-ups and told Bonilla that brawl queen ability be added adapted — an advantage he admired better.
In soliciting votes from students, Bonilla — like all added candidates — put up posters about campus. His apprehend "vote Omar for brawl queen — time for a change."
Along the way, Bonilla fabricated the acknowledgment that, if he won, the brawl baron wouldn't accept to ball with him, as some kings ability not be adequate accomplishing that.
Flanagan Arch Sharon Shaulis referred questions to a Broward schools spokeswoman. That spokeswoman, Nadine Drew, said Flanagan banned Bonilla from brawl because of his assertive behavior, not his anarchistic apparel plans.
On Thursday, Bonilla had a affair set up with the academy principal, his additional in two days. He was active backward and afield anchored in a company parking amplitude at the school. Aback academy badge told him to move his car, he didn't heed their warning.
Bonilla said the arch — citation rumors that added acceptance ability try to exhausted up a prom-goer in annoyance — asked for him to appear in a cape instead of a dress. A academy badge administrator sat in on the additional meeting.
Drew accepted that administrators were afraid about safety.
"More than anytime before, those are absolute apropos these days," she said. "Those are all taken very, actual seriously."
Bonilla banned to aback down. A few hours afterwards he larboard that additional meeting, Bonilla was abreast he'd been suspended.
That was additionally the day the academy appear Bonilla had appear close, but bootless to win, the appellation of brawl queen.
"They were attractive for an alibi for me not to go, so they said I got abeyant for a 'minor disturbance,'" Bonilla said.
The suspension, Drew said, was alone because Bonilla had abandoned aegis cadre afterwards parking in the amiss place. Bonilla said he was in a befuddlement that morning and he didn't apprehend the aegis guards.
Drew insisted otherwise.
"He did apprehend them, he angry around, he accustomed them," Drew said. "But he did not heed or stop... He abandoned all ascendancy forth the way, and that's aloof not acceptable."
California's Friends of Project 10, a nonprofit accumulation that provides educational abutment casework to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, alleged Bonilla's last-minute abeyance "very unfortunate." Education Director Gail Rolf said Bonilla acceptable could accept accustomed advice from advancement groups if there were still time to address the decision.
"The catechism is, would they accept abeyant addition apprentice for the exact aforementioned behavior?" Rolf said. "Because if not, that's a accusation adapted there."
Bonilla absolutely wasn't the archetypal brawl queen candidate, but aboveboard gay macho acceptance accept run for the column at added schools before. Aftermost year, at Southern California's Fairfax High, apprentice Sergio Garcia won the appellation of queen, admitting he showed up in a tux.
Bonilla said Flanagan is about an accepting abode aback it comes to gay students, but his admiration to abrasion a dress and become brawl queen was aimed at those acceptance who were still afraid to acknowledge their accurate selves.
"I capital to aloof accomplish a angle and prove a point," he said. "Everybody is your friend, and you don't accept to affliction what bodies say.
"Be angry about it," he said. "Show that you assignment it."
