The first man ever to win the title of homecoming queen in the state of Missouri has spoken out about some of the criticism he faced.
Four years ago, in October 2021, Zachary Willmore made national headlines when he was crowned homecoming queen at Rock Bridge High School. Footage from the event shows Zachary standing on his high school’s football field in a glittering gold gown as he accepts the crown and sash.
Speaking to KOMU 8 News at the time, he said: “It was literally like a dream. It was just really special to me.”
Unsurprisingly, the unusual nature of Zachary’s win — he was the first male in his school’s history to become homecoming queen — sparked controversy online.
But Zachary didn’t shy away from the attention. He had already launched a TikTok account showcasing his sense of self, one that quickly gained traction. Today, he has more than 2.3 million TikTok followers.
Now 22, he continues creating content aligned with his interests and values, ranging from get-ready-with-me vlogs to more serious videos addressing homophobia, hate crimes, and politics.
Even after four years, his homecoming queen story still draws interest. With renewed attention on the milestone, Zachary told PEOPLE he believes some of the coverage has a clear motive.
“I feel like some of these articles that have come out recently are meant to enrage people,” he said.
“I see the highlighted words. It’s like, ‘Homecoming queen in the state of Missouri — who is a man.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is so obviously trying to rage-bait people.’”
Reflecting on his win, Zachary says many critics claimed that by being named “homecoming queen,” he was taking the title “from a girl.” He told PEOPLE that wasn’t true, explaining the school only ever planned to crown one winner, regardless of gender. In other words, it wasn’t a homecoming king plus Zachary. He simply had the choice between “homecoming queen” and “homecoming king,” and he chose the former.
“It was based off popularity at the time and how many votes one specific person could garner regardless of the title,” the San Diego State University senior said.
“At this point, I think that some people intentionally misunderstand.”
A TikTok video of his crowning was even removed after being mass‑reported by critics.
“I think a lot of people were coming to report it just because they were really upset,” Zachary said. “I am definitely so much tougher of a person because of that experience, because I did get death threats sent to my house.”
Zachary also expressed continued pride in winning the title and becoming the first male homecoming queen in Missouri.
“I definitely thought that it was going to be one of the other guys at my school because he was just so popular,” he told PEOPLE. “It was really nice. I was excited about it.”
