Allison Cross  Jul 4, 2012 – 2:35 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 4, 2012 5:00 PM ET

The night of her high school prom, Connor Ferguson anxiously pulled on a floor-length leopard print dress and slipped her feet inside six-inch high heels covered in glitter.

Handout / Facebook

Connor Ferguson, 18.

Despite loving the outfit she’d chosen, the 18-year-old transwoman from Trenton, Ont., considered not going to the prom at all, worried her peers might say something nasty or rude. She never expected they would name her prom queen.

“It was absolutely unreal. I’ll definitely remember that moment forever,” said Ferguson, who was crowned queen at Trenton High School on June 22.

“The cheers from classmates was overwhelming as well … So much support I cannot even put it into words.”

Ferguson heard rumours she might receive a vote or two from her classmates but she never saw herself winning.

“When I got there everyone was so welcoming,” she said. “It was so fun.”

The teen went out with friends later that night and everywhere she went she heard the words: “Congratulations on your win.”

Ferguson’s experience contradicts the notion that high school is a place where bullies thrive and difference is punished.

“I’ve gotten hardly any flack [at school] for being trans,” she said.

“So many of the students and faculty at school have given me words of praise. I cannot give enough thanks for having one of the best high school experiences.”

The story of Ferguson and her crown has spread on Twitter, giving the teenager a glimpse of fame.

Ferguson wrote a letter to CBC.ca last month, outlining her transition experience that began four years ago. At that point, she began building a women’s wardrobe and began using she and her, rather than he and him.

It is a process that has included harassment from some in Trenton, a military community 170 kilometres east of Toronto and home to roughly 20,000 people.

“I wake up every single day in my small town wondering if I’m safely able to leave my house,” wrote Ferguson, who has lived all her life in Trenton.

“I’ve had things yelled at me on the streets. I’ve even been driven at by cars. I don’t let silly things like this stop me from being a happy, confident individual. Regardless of my status as a woman or transwoman I try my hardest not to let the little things bother me.”