B Hayes and their girlfriend, Ainsley Dancer, are talking excitedly, sipping on energy drinks in the green room of AB Hillsboro Village. They’ve been whisked around all morning to get ready for the prom, starting with a trip to IHOP.
“My IHOP order is a two by two by two with scrambled eggs and bacon,” B says with a smile.
Then, to the nail salon.
“Oh, yeah, the nails. They have a little — they have sparkle.”
Now, a stylist is adding texture to B’s fresh shag haircut, carefully twisting a flat iron around each lock.
Alexis Marshall WPLN NewsB Hayes and their girlfriend, Ainsley Dancer, check out their prom outfits in the green room of the venue.
In the corner, an assistant steams their outfits.
“I have a black velvet suit and a white shirt underneath. And then I’m going to have some some chunky gold necklaces that are going to look super cool,” B says. “I’m feeling excited. Maybe a little nervous, but very, very excited for the night.”
The room is positively buzzing.
The energy stands in stark contrast to just a few weeks ago when B stood outside their senior prom for Nashville Christian School, a private academy, holding a sign reading “They won’t let me in because I’m in a suit.”
“I was very upset. I mean, I was all dressed up, and I was, you know, around all my friends who are also dressed up,” B says. “I was really, really sad and, like, devastated.”
In a statement, Nashville Christian School says the dress code for prom was clear ahead of time.
After B’s Instagram post was shared by hundreds and covered by national outlets, support came pouring in. Individuals donated nearly $40,000 to throw them a prom of their own. Allison Holley, who owns the East Nashville home goods store Apple & Oak, started the GoFundMe campaign.
“Children are going through so much, and they have to deal with so much at school already. And then now having to deal with wearing pants at prom just seems so silly,” Holley says. “We should be supporting children for who they are.”
Emily April Allen Courtesy AB Hillsboro VillageB Hayes poses with a sequin cape worn by celebrity hair stylist and television star Jonathan Van Ness during Taylor Swift’s music video for “You Need To Calm Down.” The song criticizes homophobia and expresses her support for LGBTQ+ rights.
Local businesses also threw their support behind B. Marcie Allen Van Mol and her husband Derek Van Mol volunteered their venue, AB Hillsboro Village, to host the prom. She also took on coordinating the vendors.
“We have over 50 vendors, local Nashville businesses, who have donated their services just for hard expenses,” Van Mol says. “It really has overwhelmed everyone who’s involved.”
B’s prom fund received so much support that they chose two LGBTQ+ charities to give the leftover money to: Inclusion Tennessee and Just Us at Nashville’s Oasis Center.
“I’ve never felt like I got this much support in my life. And then now it’s, like, so much all at once,” B says. “It makes me very emotional. I think I’ve cried like a million times over the past week.”
They make sure to clarify: They were happy tears.
B says they hope their story shows other LGBTQ+ youth “there is community out there, and people will love you just for being you.”
This support for B comes as Republican lawmakers in Tennessee and across the country have targeted queer and trans people with a relentless tide of legislation.
“I feel like in Tennessee sometimes it’s, it’s hard to be queer, and to be openly queer,” B says. “And I think it’s important for everyone here to see how much love I’ve gotten just for being me.”
B’s girlfriend, Ainsley, says that’s what makes this smaller, inclusive prom even more special for their guests, some of whom are also queer.
“Most of our friends are a part of the community, so they’re all really excited to be in a space where they can feel like themselves and not have to, like, hide piercings and tattoos and dress a certain way,” Ainsley says. “Even like the small physical things, like, look like themselves and feel like themselves.“
They put the finishing touches on hair and get closer to the main event, a rite of passage for teens just like them across the country.
“I heard there’s a tarot card reader here, and I am so excited,” B says. “I don’t even know how to put it into words. I want to get my cards read so bad.”
“I have never been more excited to take awkward prom photos in my entire life. I want them to be strange, uncomfortable, and we have to frame them and hang them up in your room,” Ainsley says, giggling to B.
Emily April Allen Courtesy AB Hillsboro VillageB Hayes, center, celebrates prom with their friends and partner at AB Hillsboro Village.
After prom, B got tickets to see Taylor Swift, thanks to the Tennessee Titans. And there was one more big treat in store for them.
B got to meet their favorite artist, Phoebe Bridgers, an indie rock musician who has been vocal about her own queerness.
“I love Phoebe Bridgers,” they say, beaming enthusiastically. “I have a tattoo for one of Phoebe’s songs.”
It’s based on the track “Graceland Too” from Bridgers’ 2020 album “Punisher.” It features two ghosts with the lyrics “I would do anything for you.”
After meeting Bridgers, B posted a picture to Instagram, with huge grins across both of their faces. In an Instagram story, B wrote “my dream came true tonight.”
Alexis Marshall WPLN NewsB Hayes shows off their Phoebe Bridgers tattoo.
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