Bougest Sutton and his best friend, Bryant Jenkins, hatched a plan last summer. They were, at the time, on the train heading home to suburban Round Lake Beach after attending the annual Chicago Gay Pride Parade.
They wanted to become the first same-sex pair to be named homecoming king and queen at Round Lake High School.
"Once the school year started, we got really dedicated to make a difference—and it played out well," Sutton said. "The plan just seemed really regular to us. But when we got home to Round Lake, we didn't really think it would go that far."
So they went online, mostly on Facebook, asking if fellow students would care for, and support, a same-sex homecoming king and queen. Everyone was supportive, Sutton said.
"Initially, I wasn't too concerned if we would win. More, I wondered if it would be allowed and would it be accepted, particularly from adults—the teachers and staff—because they are from a different generation. I was worried that it would become an issue," Sutton said.
So, the two met with the school's principal, Juan Gardner Sr. They didn't know before the meeting started where Gardner stood on LGBT issues.
"Ultimately, he was really dedicated and motivated to make sure that our names were still be on the ballot," Sutton said. "Mr. Gardner called what we were doing 'courageous' and said that he was '100 percent OK' with our decision to run."
Plus, Gardner told the two that, if they have any problems with anyone, they can come back to him immediately.
"That felt great," Sutton said.
Sutton, 17, a senior, is openly gay. He came out during the second semester of his sophomore year. He hopes to attend college in the fall in New York City.
Jenkins, 17, also a senior, is bisexual.
The two are just good friends, not romantically involved.
They were one of four couples on the school's ballot for homecoming king and queen, with Sutton holding the king title. They were the only same-sex couple in the running.
"I felt outnumbered [during the voting], so I was worried that we wouldn't win," Sutton said. "But, we had a lot of students come up and say that they voted for us; that really inspired me."
The final voting results were not released publicly, but the winners—Sutton and Jenkins—were announced, as planned, during the Powder Puff Extravaganza, a Homecoming week event that is an all-girls football game.
"I was so nervous; I was shaking, almost light-headed," right before the announcement of the winning couple, Sutton said. "All of the couples were introduced and the crowd really was roaring for us; that made me really feel loved."
Finally, the winners were announced. All Sutton heard was Bryant, and then the crowd erupted with screams of support.
Sutton and Jenkins joined in—they screamed, jumped up and down.
"I'll never forget what one girl told us. She said, 'You made a difference, now everyone can do it,'" Sutton said. "I feel, to even begin making a dent in the LGBT community in a large city, such as Chicago, this was sort of a test run for what I plan to do in the world. I plan to be a larger-than-life LGBT activist.
"Yes, Round Lake is very small, and because it is small, people automatically think small also means ignorant. But at least from my standpoint, that hasn't been the case, at all. I'm very grateful to have gone to Round Lake High School, to have met the faculty, staff and students who I have. Everyone has been really gracious.
"I'm not sure we even would have made it on the ballot at other schools."
Sutton lives in a single-parent home, with his mom, Tamyra, and three siblings: Jonte, 16, a sophomore at Gages Lake School; Trenton, 10, a fifth-grader; and Brycen, 9, a fourth-grader. He also has an older sister: Jessika, 22, a Round Lake High School graduate.
"In the past, whenever I thought of the homecoming king and queen, I always thought [it would be] a football player and a cheerleader. Now people realize that it can be two guys, two best friends, two gays," Sutton said. "This [honor] is the first step toward bigger and greater things for me. Hopefully, I will get into marketing and advertising [in college and beyond]. I also want to blog and more.
"Who knows? Maybe I'll run for president [of the United States]."
"I want to become my own brand."
Sutton said his mom and his siblings have all been supportive.
But he also has endured negative responses, mostly online, he said. Facebook posts about the two last fall were not critical of either personally, just that a male was running for the title of queen. Some Facebook posts tagged their decision to run as "weird and unorthodox."
"What I've realized is, they have not brought [the negativity] to me personally, so they don't have an issue with me personally; they just have an issue with the gay community," Sutton said. "So, I feel the change that we made in our small community also can be made in a larger community.
"This is a big step for LGBT youth."
Sutton and Jenkins attended, and danced together, at the Round Lake Homecoming on Saturday night, Oct. 6, 2012.
"There were absolutely no problems at Homecoming, other than too many pictures [were being taken,]" Sutton said, laughing. "Overall, it probably was the most positive night I've ever had in high school."
Sutton has taken charge of trying to start at GSA at Round Lake and is hoping to have it officially formed before the end of the school year.
"It would break my heart to leave this school without even trying to make a change for my LGBT community," Sutton said.
"Often, when kids say the word 'faggot,' they don't usually think 'gay.' Instead, they use it as a euphemism for any disapproval, yet they don't know who they are offending. But, it's important that we speak out against all slurs, no matter who it's offending.
"Hopefully that, too, is changing at Round Lake High School and elsewhere."
