Starting this year, the pomp and circumstance at Franklin High School in Seattle will take on a new look.
Students will graduate in a gender-neutral ceremony.
“We're breaking boundaries,” sophomore Ami Diouf said.
Traditionally, young men and women have lined up according to their sex and marched into the ceremony in pairs. They sit on opposite sides of the aisle according to their gender and wear gender-specific gowns: boys in black and girls in green.
That didn’t sit well with many students, including sophomore Elizabeth Huse.
“Where they have to identify as either girl or boy was hugely detrimental to a lot of people,” added Huse.
Students who rallied for change say it takes the pressure off for transgender students and others who don’t identify with a particular gender.
“You want to go up and shake their hand and grab your diploma as the person you are and not be confined to something you don’t identify as,” Huse explained.
Students say it's a much-needed break in tradition for one of the oldest schools in Seattle.
A few teachers made the observation last year.
“I think it always has been; 103 years and we were wondering why,” teacher Olivia Geffner said. “If there was a reason besides tradition.”
They brought it to the attention of the Gay Student Alliance, or GSA.
Both Diouf and Huse are members of the GSA.
They reached out to other kids to get support.
“At Franklin, we're all about equality, making sure everyone is comfortable and everyone can learn,” senior Melan Yemane said.
Huse and Diouf won’t graduate for another couple of years.
But they take pride in leaving a legacy and being a part of history.
“It was huge. We had done something that changed how the school runs,” Huse said.
“Wow, I changed something in high school and graduated the way I wanted to graduate,” added Diouf.
Because the decision was made after the gender-specific gowns were ordered, the students will line up and sit alphabetically.
KIRO 7 checked with Seattle Public Schools. Five high schools graduate with gender-specific gowns, seven have gender-neutral ceremonies.
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