Transgender Student Named Homecoming Queen

A transgender teen made history Friday night when she was crowned homecoming queen at an Orange County high school.

"I'm so proud to win this not just for me but for everyone out there and for every kid -- transgender, gay, straight, black, white, Mexican, Asian. It doesn't matter, you can be yourself," Cassidy Lynn Campbell said after her win.

The high school senior has been sharing her transition from male to female with an audience of more than 18,000 YouTube subscribers in videos that range from fun to deeply personal.

In one video, Campbell shares makeup tips. In another, the 16-year-old gives viewers a lesson in self-injecting estrogen.

Campbell said she couldn't be herself until this year. That's when she started living her life completely as a female.

"I realized it wasn't for me anymore," Campbell said of her homecoming queen candidancy. "I was doing this for so many people all around."

Ahead of the Friday night announcement, students told NBC4 their classmate was a natural winner.

"Everyone at school loves her," one student said.

"She’s super sweet," said another.

With a crown on her head, Cassidy Lynn will preside over Marina High School’s homecoming dance this weekend.

But the win was not without its backlash on social media.

She said she hopes winning the crown will cause some of her critics to rethink their opinions.

"If it can just make them look a little bit differently at myself or anyone else in this world and judge a little less harshly, then it was all worth it," Campbell said.

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