Mary Lambert, Jay Manuel, Nico Tortorella, Celebrate BuzzFeed's Second Annual Queer Prom for LGBTQ Youth in New York

To kick off Pride month, BuzzFeed's second annual Queer Prom Powered by Samsung celebrated every student's right to celebrate this joyous rite of passage, from the heart of New York City's Meatpacking District. At a time when schools continue to discourage and even exclude LGBTQ students from attending and participating in their own proms, BuzzFeed's Queer Prom was established to provide a safe space for LGBTQ students to be their authentic selves at prom.

Over 200 students attended the event hosted by BuzzFeed's Jazzmyne Jay Robbins and Curly Velasquez, which will be featured in a three-episode BuzzFeed video series launching during Pride Month.

The event featured a Queer Prom Court of five high school seniors, chosen from thousands of submissions, a red carpet featuring celebrities such as Nico Tortorella, Jay Manuel, cast members from FX's new show Pose, and queens from RuPaul's Drag Race, and prom court crownings and performances by Mary Lambert and Starley.

Photo Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for BuzzFeed