The town of Axbridge, Somerset in the UK, has picked a 15-year-old homosexual boy to serve as their new carnival queen.

David Bridge, who auditioned of front of the mayor of Axbridge, will be wearing a dress, tiara and high heels for the procession and to honor his crown.

He said, "I've always liked the carnival and I thought, 'Why not take part?' It seemed fun and I thought I'd enjoy dressing up. I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to wear a red ball gown or a black one.

"When I did the audition there were a few in the audience who didn't know what to make of me. But then others said, 'If you've got the balls to do it, go for it'."

He added, "There will be a few bigots who might not approve, but I'm hoping to show I've enough confidence to carry it off. It's important to show you don't have to be in London to dress up as a gay or in drag costume."

Carnival committee chairman Robin Goodfellow, 66, said, "We couldn't eliminate him just because he was male.

"Some people might be offended but we'd rather be inclusive than exclusive. It's hard enough to get people involved as it is. If there had been more girls applying for the post, this might never have happened."

But others are protesting. Local Chris Whittaker said, "We can't believe it. It's political correctness gone mad. How on earth can you have a carnival queen who's a bloke?"