Senior Dex Frier claims officials at his high school in Gainesville, Georgia, removed him from the prom king ballot and suggested he instead run for prom queen. Frier’s grandmother claims Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield personally removed her grandson from the ballot despite his nomination by classmates. NBC News reports that Schofield has denied his involvement. By Friday, a petition calling for Frier’s reinstatement to the prom king ballot had gathered almost 14,000 signatures. It states: “The decision made by Mr. Schofield fails to reflect either core value of Hall County Schools and is rather an exposition of a transphobic attitude that endangers many more than just Dex.” In contrast, two petitions asking that the removal be upheld have collectively garnered fewer than 100 signatures.

Frier told NBC News: “I want to bring awareness to the fact that removing me from the king ballot and giving me the option to run as queen shouldn’t have been the way to fix this situation.”