A Culture He Can Change

Duke Medina wants to change Colton.  

There’s a strain of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment within the Colton community, even at times blatant homophobia, and Duke has some things to say about it.

This iconic green-wearing, ASB President, Honors/AP scholar, and queer student spends most of his time either at school working to make sure school events go smoothly, or at home doing homework. 

Otherwise, he can often be seen socializing in the halls and making a comfortable atmosphere for all. 

Creating a comfortable atmosphere for students is also one of Duke’s main motivations running for Homecoming King this year. 

As a self-identified queer teen, he’s looking to show Colton that just because he’s different doesn’t mean he’s actually different. He’s looking to be a pillar to those that are also LGBTQ+ at CHS who are afraid to put themselves in the spotlight for fear of judgment. 

“Most of the time LGBTQ people don’t pursue bigger roles on campus such as King/Queen due to a lot of people’s opinions and the fear of judgment,” Duke explains, “but representation matters, and I hope people realize that challenging the status quo is needed, because there is nothing bad about being different than the majority.”

Duke wants his minority to be just as involved and acknowledged as the majority is. To some it’s difficult to see how open he is with his sexuality; he knows how that feels. 

Growing up, Duke faced discrimination and rumors being spread about him over his sexuality at both a private Catholic school he once attended.

He was confident at his private school, but when he returned to CHS, he kept to himself more. 

About the private school, Duke shares, “I was new, and they were strangers. So I wanted to start off as a new person.” When he returned to Colton, he found himself settling back into his old self, “because people at Colton have known me since I was little, and I kinda messed up on my [own personal] journey.”

Staying in the closet at CHS created a serious challenge for Duke. “It was just draining, being afraid of opinion and hiding,” Duke expresses, “I wanted to live my life happy.”

Luckily, since returning to CHS towards the end of last school year, Duke’s Junior year, he’s become more confident in himself because his work as ASB President. 

Duke feared he would face some discrimination based obstacles running for Homecoming King and ASB President last year, but he did it anyways because “YOLO.” 

He wants to change how Colton thinks of a king. A king can be gay, bi, lesbian, transgender, yet still be considered just as much as a king as a straight cisgendered person may be. 

“People are still biased against people like me because they’re ‘traditional’ and straight cis gendered men fit the image of a Hoco King more, you know?”

A king can be whomever you want them to be, not only because Homecoming is a popularity contest. Because you’re choosing them for who they are, not what they are. 

Duke’s looking to get this message across once he gets that Homecoming crown.