For 61 years, young ladies from Hoover High School have participated in the Hoover High School Beauty Walk sponsored by the senior class representatives within the Student Government Association (SGA). This year, a boy who identifies as a girl attempted to participate but was denied entry, sparking outrage by some and hails of courage and common sense by others.
On Saturday, 105 girls in the school’s senior class participated in the event at the historic Alabama Theatre in Birmingham. They wore ball gowns and were escorted by young men in tuxedos as judges crowned a “Miss Senior Class 2026” and awarded a “Miss Congeniality” prize.
The event was emceed by Miss Alabama Emma Terry and James Spann.
School administrators allowed the SGA to vote on whether the boy could compete, and, in a nearly unanimous vote, the students decided to keep the event strictly for young women, as evidenced by the use of the title “Miss” in the award and by the historic precedent of female-only participation.
This decision upset some who felt that school administrators should have allowed the boy to participate.
“[The young man] is a transgender student who lives and presents full-time as a young woman. The school has consistently recognized and respected this in other areas — including allowing her to perform in guard wearing the same uniforms as the other female members rather than the costumes worn by male participants,” a Facebook post shared throughout the community by a mother with students at the school, said of the trans-identifying boy, using female pronouns for him throughout her post.
“[The young man] completed her registration paperwork, submitted her entry fee, and attempted to sign up like any other senior. She was told she could not participate because the pageant is limited to ‘biological females,’” she continued.
“We are not seeking controversy for its own sake. We are asking for accountability and compassion so that no other child at Hoover High — or elsewhere — experiences this type of public rejection,” she explained.
The original post was reshared by just over a dozen people and appeared on several local social media pages.
“Hoover you need to fix this. Take a second to look at the marching arts. HISTORICALLY it has been a safe space for all lgbtq+ people. It should NOT have gone to STUDENT GOVERNMENT to decide,” wrote Emily Dodson, assistant color guard director for Thompson High School in Alabaster.
Screen Shot from Facebook (Redacted to hide student’s name)
Others within the community celebrated the decision and praised the SGA for taking a stand for the girls in the school, with some pointing out that state law and biology are clear and that same-sex spaces and events should be protected.
The “What Is a Woman Act,” signed into law in February 2025, clearly defines sex in the state sponsored by State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover).
“If the Good Lord made you a boy, you’re a boy. And if He made you a girl, you’re a girl,” Ivey said after signing the bill. “In Alabama, we believe there are two genders: Male and female. There is nothing complicated or controversial about it. Today, I was proud to officially answer the question ‘What is a Woman?’ with my signature on Senate Bill 79. It did not take a biologist to figure it out. Thank you, Senator April Weaver and Representative Susan Dubose, for your work on this.”
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