LGBTQ couple crowned homecoming king and queen at Plainfield South - or were they?

Emily Novak and Gianna Pometta, a same sex couple at Plainfield South High School, were crowned homecoming king and queen for 2021 – or so they thought.

Toni Gill, Novak’s mother, said the girls received their sashes and crowns before Friday’s football game.

The girls wore those sashes that said king and queen at the homecoming dance and they wore the crowns. The other members of the court did not wear sashes or crowns, Gill said.

But Tom Hernandez, director of community relations for Plainfield Community Consolidated High School District 202, said the girls were part of the homecoming court of eight students, two from each grade, and that no one at Plainfield South High School was crowned king or queen this year.

“The two girls are senior attendants,” Hernandez said.

Nor are the girls the first same sex couple in the district to earn the honor of being part of the court, he said.

“I know, for example, that Plainfield East also had a same sex couple, but they are not king and queen. That’s reserved for seniors,” Hernandez said. “The two kids [at Plainfield East) are not seniors so they are part of the court.”

He added that students at Plainfield Community High School – Central Campus have also been nominated for gender-opposite homecoming roles in in the past.

“They’ve allowed students to choose to run for either king or queen,” Hernandez wrote in an email, “but so far, none have won.”

Hernandez said the traditional practice at Plainfield South is to nominate boys for king and girls for queen. A few concerns were expressed when Novak and Pometta were placed on the ballot, but Plainfield South High School Principal Bob Yanello felt the school shouldn’t mind when the kids didn’t, Hernandez said.

“When they made the change, they just made it all part of the court,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez praised Yanello’s handling of the situation.

“I give him all the credit,” Hernandez said. “This is the world we live in; this was the students’ nomination, and this was about the students.”

Then why does Pometta’s sash say “PSHS homecoming king?”

“They may not had time to change the sash,” Hernandez said. “This all happened in a flash.”

Gill said her understanding is that Plainfield South crowns its king and queen during the homecoming pep rally, which is held during the school day. But the pep rally was canceled several weeks ago, she said.

Hernandez said Yanello canceled the pep rally because kids would be sitting shoulder to shoulder, even though the rally is an outside event. Because the pep rally is held during the daytime, as opposed to the dance and football game, students would be required to attend, he added.

What other local schools have done

Jen Beshansky, director of community Relations at Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, said in an email that all three Lincolnway schools no longer have homecoming court and have not had courts for several years.

Jim Blaney, director of community relations at Valley View Community Unit School District 365U, said Romeoville High School has not crowned an LGBTQ couple as homecoming king or queen.

Kristine Schlismann, director of community and alumni relations, said in an email that District 204 does not crown a “couple” king and queen. Individual students run for either the king or queen position, she said. There is only one king position and one queen position, she added.

 “We allow students to run for the position/gender that they identify with and would not prohibit a student from running for a position if is not the gender that they are assigned to at birth,” Schlismann wrote in an email.

Why the girls ran

Gill said the girls were nominated for king and queen and made the top three, so they were placed on the final ballot.

“There was some talk about it [at Plainfield south] because it had never been done and they had to come together and figure it out,” Gill said. “In the end, they did the right thing.”

Novak said when she and Pometta had discussed running for king and queen, they never actually thought they’d win, especially after their nomination caused some controversy at the school.

“Seeing all the people standing behind you and supporting you is what made it crazy – not just the winning but the support we had from being nominated,” Novak said. “The winning part was amazing, too.”

Novak said hers and Pometta’s win was not just for her but for other LGBTQ couples and for the entire school, to let them know “it’s time for a change.”

Pometta agreed.

“I hope we can make this a known thing around the world, to let people who are not the typical straight people – to give them chances as well,” Pometta said.

Not their first challenge

Novak and Pometta met two years ago in a health class at Plainfield South and liked each other right away, they said. Novak said they flirted with each other and hung out together before they actually started dating.

“I just felt an instant connection as soon as I saw her,” Novak said. “I started talking to her and it just grew from that.”

Pometta said she “knew” the moment she walked through the door.

“I was like, ‘that’s the one,’” Pometta said.

Pometta said she was “a little nervous” but Novak wanted to talk to her and the relationship “just happened.”

“Her personality is one the greatest that I’ve been around,” Pometta said. “She’s, like, the kindest person ever. And she has a really big heart. She will do anything for anyone.”

Novak expressed similar sentiments about Pometta.

“She is extremely caring,” Novak said. “During the entire process, she did not stop talking about how we were making such a big difference, how it would help a future LGBTQ couple feel like they could do anything … she’s always there for everybody and she puts everybody else before her. She makes sure everyone around her is OK and happy. She helps me with school. She helps me clean my room.”

Novak said her “coming out” caused some controversy, too.

“She was the first person I came out with,” Novak said. “People did not know I liked girls until I got with her. So there was a little bit of backlash from people.”

But Novak felt being confident in her decision helped to be accepted as part of a same sex couple.

“Overcoming it showed you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” Novak said.

Novak and Pometta also proved their relationship could survive separation, too. Novak said they didn’t see each other during the first month of the pandemic and then for a couple weeks this spring when a relative tested positive for COVID.

“We got through it with FaceTime and watching movies together,” Novak said. “We made the best of it.”

As part of the honor, the girls said they will participate in the Plainfield Homecoming Parade this weekend.

“We actually get to ride in the convertible,” Novak said. “It will be so much fun.”