Justin Davis is not your typical high school student. Davis is not afraid to walk into the cafeteria in an all pastel pink outfit and flip his non-existent hair. Justin davis breaks the stereotype of males needing to either participate in sports to show off their straight masculinity, or be involved with drama to show how flamboyant they are.

“I do all the shows here, I’m on the board of drama club – I’m the secretary,” Davis said. “Anything that involves anything drama, like improv, fall play, musical, tech, speech, I’m there and actually apart of that.”

Davis is a senior at Palatine High School, and is involved in Company Orchesis, is the secretary for Drama club, an active member of improv and speech, has a part in every PHS production, and is a member of concert choir.

“I always wanted to dance, and I just thought that this [Orchesis] was a good outlet to do it,” Davis said. “So, my junior year I had been dancing for a year and a half at that point, and decided to try out for Company Orchesis.”

Davis made it onto Company Orchesis, and got solos and featured parts in routines because he worked hard to earn the parts.

“Forget about what people think about me, I’m just going to do it, live, and love that I got in,” Davis added.

“You get to meet people that you’ve gone to school with freshman year,” Acacia Ramirez, PHS senior said. “He knows a lot of people, so the best part is that he’s social so you get more friends from being friends with him.”

“He’s always positive, fun to be around, and he doesn’t judge anybody,” PHS senior Cassie Ruddle said. Ruddle is also on orchesis, though not on the same level of orchesis as Davis.

While we attend a decently open-minded school, there are some people who look down upon males who are more involved in drama than sports.

“I think there is stigma with guys who do anything that’s not football, or basketball,” Davis said. “I think that if you sing, act, or dance then there’s this thought that ‘he’s not manly,’ when in reality dancing is a lot of work, it’s really hard. People think that if you can’t throw a ball, you’re not a guy.”

“Times have changed so much that people are so accepting, but there are a couple of people who think that just because ‘you don’t do what I do’ that you’re not cool,” Davis said.

Davis does not let these people bring down his spirits, he goes on to do what he does with the support of many of his friends.

“The reason I have more female friends, is that with any guy there is a major masculinity complex whether you’re gay or straight, so I feel like with girls I’m more comfortable because I am more flamboyant than most guys,” Davis said. “I feel like with girls they’re not going to judge me, where with other guys they question why I do what I do.”

Females feel the same way as Davis feels about them, overall Davis’s friends say that his positive attitude and flamboyancy make girls feel more comfortable around him.

“This is who he is, you don’t feel uncomfortable around him,” Ramirez said. “I think what he’s involved in makes him more approachable.”