UW-Eau Claire Students Opt For Gender-Neutral Homecoming Royalty

Students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire are doing away with the titles of homecoming king and queen, opting instead for the gender-neutral “homecoming royalty.”

For two years, student organizers of UW-Eau Claire’s homecoming celebration have talked about making the traditional homecoming king and queen competition more inclusive to the school’s LGBT community. Coordinator for student activities Nicole Rindone said that this summer, they agreed on changing the titles of homecoming king and queen.

“We’re trying to not rule out anybody or have someone have to pick that they want to be a king or a queen,” she said. “Rather, they can just apply and be part of the competition no matter what their gender, what their sex is.”

Rindone said other Wisconsin schools including UW-Oshkosh, and Ripon College have already made the switch to homecoming royalty and UW-Stout is considering it for next year.