The first man ever to win the title of homecoming queen in the state of Missouri has spoke out on some of the criticism he faced.<\/p>\n
Four years ago, in October 2021, Zachary Willmore made national headlines when he was crowned homecoming queen at Rock Bridge High School. Footage from the event shows Zachary standing on his high school\u2019s football field, wearing a glittering gold gown as he accepts the crown and sash.<\/p>\n
Speaking to KOMU 8 news at the time, he said: \u201cIt was literally like a dream. It was just really special to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Needless to say, the unusual nature of Zachary\u2019s victory \u2013 he was the first male in his school\u2019s history to become homecoming queen \u2013 was a source of controversy online.<\/p>\n
But the young man himself didn\u2019t necessarily shun the attention. He had already started a TikTok account flaunting his sense of self, one that rapidly grew in popularity. Fast forward to present, and Zachary has over 2.3 million TikTok followers.<\/p>\n
Now 22, he continues to produce content in line with his interests and views. They range from get-ready-with-me type vlogs to more serious videos tackling issues like homophobia, hate crimes, and politics.<\/p>\n
Despite four years having passed since his homecoming queen win, the story still garners intrigue. After renewed interest in the historical feat, Zachary told PEOPLE that he believes some of the people highlighting it have a definite agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like some of these articles that have come out recently are meant to enrage people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see the highlighted words. It\u2019s like, \u2018Homecoming queen in the state of Missouri \u2014 who is a man.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh my God, this is so obviously trying to rage-bait people.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his victory four years ago, Zachary claims many critics focused on the idea that by being named \u201chomecoming queen\u201d he was stealing the spot \u201cfrom a girl.\u201d He revealed to PEOPLE, however, that wasn\u2019t the case, as the school was only ever going to crown a single winner, irrespective of gender.<\/p>\n
Basically put, it wasn\u2019t a homecoming king plus Zachary. Rather, he had the choice to be dubbed \u201chomecoming queen\u201d or \u201chomecoming king\u201d. He chose the former.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was based off of popularity at the time and how many votes one specific person could garner regardless of the title,\u201d the San Diego State University senior shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, I think that some people intentionally misunderstand.\u201d<\/p>\n
A TikTok where he posted the official crowning was even removed after being reported by so many critics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of people were coming to report it just because they were really upset,\u201d says Zachary. \u201cI am definitely so much tougher of a person because of that experience, because I did get death threats [sent] to my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zachary also expressed his continued pride at having won the title and become the first ever male homecoming queen in the state of Missouri,<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely thought that it was going to be one of the other guys at my school because he was just so popular,\u201d he told PEOPLE. \u201cIt was really nice. I was excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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