“I feel like some of these articles that have come out recently are meant to enrage people,” he said.

“I see the highlighted words. It’s like, ‘Homecoming queen in the state of Missouri — who is a man.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is so obviously trying to rage-bait people.’”

Reflecting on his victory four years ago, Zachary claims many critics focused on the idea that by being named “homecoming queen” he was stealing the spot “from a girl.” He revealed to PEOPLE, however, that wasn’t the case, as the school was only ever going to crown a single winner, irrespective of gender.

Basically put, it wasn’t a homecoming king plus Zachary. Rather, he had the choice to be dubbed “homecoming queen” or “homecoming king”. He chose the former.

“It was based off of popularity at the time and how many votes one specific person could garner regardless of the title,” the San Diego State University senior shared.