Human Interest Story

George Mason picks drag queen as homecoming queen

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — George Mason University senior Ryan Allen dresses in drag and doesn't mind being called a queen -- homecoming queen, to be exact.
Allen, who is gay and performs in drag at nightclubs in the region, said he entered the homecoming contest as a joke, competing as Reann Ballslee, his drag queen persona.

But he considers the victory one of his happiest moments and proof that the suburban Washington, D.C., school famous for its run to the Final Four a few years back celebrates its diverse student body.

"I was very touched by how Mason was so supportive through the whole process of allowing a boy in a dress to run for homecoming queen," Allen said in a phone interview. "It says a lot about the campus that not only do we have diversity but we celebrate it."

The senior from Virginia's Goochland County won the pageant Saturday at a sold-out Homecoming basketball game against Northeastern University.

Large portions of the crowd cheered as Allen, wearing a gold-sequined top, accepted the tiara and the Ms. Mason 2009 sash.
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Through The Eyes of A Dog

My name is Jeffrey, I am an Alaskan Malamute born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. My entire life I've been playing in the snow year round and its really the only thing I've ever been around. This summer, well i guess you could call it a summer. My owner and I went down to visit California for a couple of weeks. It was HORRIBLE!! I don't think I ever stopped sweating and i was constantly thirsty, the heat was unbearable. I thought the trip was a complete waste...that is until we went down the Boulevard. Now I'm just gonna fill you in on a little secret, there's not very much ladies up around Anchorage. And when we went walking down the Boulevard and all these fine little Cali babes started checking me out, man I thought i was gonna go into cardiac arrest right there on the side walk. So I started struttin my stuff, i puffed out my chest a little bit, pricked up my ears and made sure my tail an fur were looking good and i started eye ballin a couple of cuties that were giving me a little extra attention. And I decided I'd jump in the game, run over there and let em' see what I looked like up close. Well i made it about halfway across the street when the chain around my neck suddenly starts getting tighter, i turn around and look at the boss man and he's just watchin me to see what I'll do. So i figure no harm, no foul. I turn back to the ladies and saunter my way over with my big boy walk on, and about two feet from em. Right when i go to stick out my nose and get a whiff of this gorgeous collie, BAM!!! I'm on my side with the leashed stretched around my neck. And i look back to see the boss man rolling on the ground laughin his butt off at me, now that just hurt me down to the core. Every bit of pride and swagger I'd had walkin across the street vanished in the instant, an i just turned tail and ran for it right back to his side to avoid an further "humiliating" ploys he might have up his sleeve. So pretty much the gist of the story is, I officially hate California and pretty collies eye balling ya when you've got a jerk of a jokester holdin the leash around your neck. So its back to snow for me...thankfully. TTYL Peeps