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Author Bio

Annaliese DeVita (they/them) is an incoming Ph.D. student in sociocultural anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. Their work broadly explores migration, borders, and gender. Annaliese is a member of the Trans CARE Collaborative, a group of scholars and community advocates who work together to improve research focused on Two Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary people. Annaliese is currently based in Scotland.

Abstract

Prom, a hallmark of American adolescence, is often dismissed as a frivolous tradition, yet it holds profound significance as a space for youth identity formation, social belonging, and cultural navigation. For trans and gender-expansive youth, the stakes of participation in this rite of passage are heightened amidst escalating attacks on their existence. This essay, drawing from graduate thesis research at the University of Edinburgh, examines the historical roots of prom, its embedded cis-heteronormative structures, and how Queer Youth Proms (QYPs) function as sites of resilience, joy, and self-determination for trans youth. While QYPs offer a critical refuge, their existence underscores broader systemic failures in ensuring trans adolescents' safety and inclusion in mainstream educational and social experiences. Situating prom within the larger discourse on education, human rights, and community-building. This paper argues for the necessity of protected, affirming spaces where trans youth can experience joy not as an act of defiance, but as an expectation.

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