This trans teen from Illinois is fulfilling her childhood dream of running for prom queen

From seventeen years old

Dakota Yorke, an 18-year-old high school student from Portage High School near Chicago, is realizing her childhood dream of running for prom queen.

She has been identified “as a girl more than a boy” since early childhood, her mother Dawn Yorke told the Chicago Tribune. After years of bullying in middle school, she found a supportive group of friends in high school and felt more comfortable speaking out.

As a child, Dakota dreamed of wearing the prom queen's sash and tiara. Earlier this spring, she asked school officials if she would be able to run. When they approved her application, she was thrilled.

“I saw my name on the scoreboard and I cried,” Dakota told the TV news. Tribunethe day she found out she was one of four finalists for the crown based on her classmates' votes.

This time last year, Dakota attended her prom wearing a tuxedo, presenting as a man. She remembers feeling a feeling of dysphoria.

“I felt embarrassed,” she told the Tribune.

Over the past year, she made a transition – and she thrived. She has made spectacular progress in her cosmetology classes and dreams of moving to Los Angeles to become a makeup artist. For the most part, everyone in his life was supportive; she only receives hateful comments online.

“I've been very lucky that people understand me and I don't need to explain my pronouns,” she said.

Her classmates are excited to vote for her.

Last weekend, Dakota bought a prom dress. But her big night, May 7, is about more than the chance to represent her class as prom queen.

“It's not about winning this crown,” Dakota told the Tribune. “For other transgender teens, it's about following your dreams and being who you are, not what people think you are.”

To learn more about Dakota, watch his video for the Tribunewhere she explains the journey to becoming the confident and happy young woman she is today.