MARIEMONT, Ohio (WKRC) - The Mariemont High School homecoming parade took place Friday evening. However, there is only a homecoming princess, no prince.

Students elected sophomore Cassie Steiner princess, but it turns out it wasn't because she was so popular; it was a mean-spirited joke. It may have been a joke to those students, but Cassie plans to make the most of her platform and crown to raise awareness for trans youth.

Cassie’s mother, Kat Steiner, says her daughter is pretty typical for a 15-year-old.

"She enjoys playing soccer. She enjoys playing guitar. She likes video games, and she is very determined," Kat said.

But the 15-year-old made the decision to come out as transgender in April.

"She started her sophomore year of school exclusively as Cassie, but previously, she was David," Kat said.

Kat says, since that time, her daughter has received a great deal of support from friends and the school.

"The teachers have been wonderful in terms of pronouns and the name," Kat said.

Earlier this week, the family received a call from the school saying Cassie had won homecoming princess.

"You can imagine the excitement that goes along with getting that news. We were informed at that time -- it was a great conversation -- that there may have been a chance that there were a few mean-spirited kids who might have thought it was funny to have a trans princess," Kat said.

It turns out it was a lot more mean-spirited, and Cassie had only been nominated as a joke.

"Cassie was determined to wear that crown," Kat said. "It was important to her that she was representing not just herself, but the trans community."

Cassie even made a social media post to her classmates who were so mean.

"To all of you haters, I want to thank you for allowing me to advocate for other trans youth and giving me this platform," Cassie wrote.

Cassie has no one to walk with because none of the boys nominated for homecoming prince accepted. Kat says she hopes families use this as a teaching moment.

Meanwhile, she says the school has been great through all of this. In fact, the family asked if someone from the district would escort Cassie on homecoming court as a sign of solidarity. The district says that will be Mariemont High School Principal D. Jim Renner.

There are signs of support popping up around the Mariemont community for Cassie. A group even gathered before the parade to pass out signs to show support for her.