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"  Dakota Yorke, an 18-year-old senior at Portage High School near Chicago, is fulfilling her childhood dream of running for prom queen.\u00A0 She&amp;#039;s identified &amp;quot;as a girl more than a boy&amp;quot; since early childhood, her mother Dawn Yorke told the\u00A0Chicago Tribune.\u00A0After years of bullying in middle school, she found a supportive group of friends in high school and felt more comfortable expressing herself.\u00A0 As a child, Dakota dreamed of wearing the prom queen&amp;#039;s sash and tiara. Earlier this spring, she asked school officials if she would be able to run. When they approved her request, she was overjoyed.\u00A0 &amp;quot;I saw my name on the bulletin board and I cried,&amp;quot; Dakota told the\u00A0Tribune, the day she discovered she&amp;#039;s one of four finalists for the crown based on votes from her classmates.\u00A0 This time last year, Dakota attended her junior prom dressed in a tuxedo, presenting as a guy. She recalled feeling a sense of dysphoria. &amp;quot;I felt embarrassed,&amp;quot; she told the\u00A0Tribune.\u00A0 Over the past year, she&amp;#039;s transitioned \u2014 and she&amp;#039;s blossomed. She&amp;#039;s made spectacular progress in her cosmetology classes, and dreams of moving to Los Angeles to become a makeup artist. For the most part, everyone in her life has been supportive; she only receives hateful comments online. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve been real lucky with people understanding me, and me not having to explain my pronouns,&amp;quot; she said. Her classmates are excited to vote for her.\u00A0      \u203C\uFE0F\u203C\uFE0F\u203C\uFE0F\u203C\uFE0F\u203C\uFE0F Everyone vote Dakota Yorke for prom queen!!! She deserves it so much &#128152;&#128152;&#128152;&#128152; She would be so happy, and make a beautiful queen &#128081;\u2665\uFE0F&#128536; \u2014 lilmyster (@lillyistoookool) April 20, 2016         Vote for Dakota Yorke!&#128522;&#128522;&#128522;&#128522;&#128151;&#128151;&#128151;&#128151;&#128151; she REALLY deserves it \u2014 Dar\u2600\uFE0F (@maeedarla) April 20, 2016         TOMORROW IS VOTING DAY!!!!!! &#1041191;&#1041191;&#1041191;&#1041191;&#1041191;&#1041191;&#1041191; VOTE MY GIRL Dakota Yorke FOR PROM QUEEN 2k16!!!!!!!!!!!&#1041617;&#1041617;&#1041617;&#1041617;&#1041617;&#1041617;&#1041617; SHE IS THE... https://t.co/pGRyHmfLKx \u2014 lexii (@lexi_sebert) April 20, 2016     Last weekend, Dakota bought a prom dress. But her big night, May 7, is about more than just the opportunity to represent her class as prom queen. &amp;quot;This is not about winning that crown,&amp;quot; Dakota told the\u00A0Tribune. &amp;quot;For other transgender teens, this is about following your dreams and being who you are, not who people think you are.&amp;quot; For more from Dakota, check out her video for the\u00A0Tribune, where she explains the journey to becoming the confident, happy young woman she is today.\u00A0        "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/prom/news/a40125/this-illinois-trans-teen-is-running-for-prom-queen/>