The first man ever to win the title of homecoming queen in the state of Missouri has spoke out on some of the criticism he faced.

Four years ago, in October 2021, Zachary Willmore made national headlines when he was crowned homecoming queen at Rock Bridge High School. Footage from the event shows Zachary standing on his high school’s football field, wearing a glittering gold gown as he accepts the crown and sash.

Speaking to KOMU 8 news at the time, he said: “It was literally like a dream. It was just really special to me.”

Needless to say, the unusual nature of Zachary’s victory – he was the first male in his school’s history to become homecoming queen – was a source of controversy online.

But the young man himself didn’t necessarily shun the attention. He had already started a TikTok account flaunting his sense of self, one that rapidly grew in popularity. Fast forward to present, and Zachary has over 2.3 million TikTok followers.

Now 22, he continues to produce content in line with his interests and views. They range from get-ready-with-me type vlogs to more serious videos tackling issues like homophobia, hate crimes, and politics.

Despite four years having passed since his homecoming queen win, the story still garners intrigue. After renewed interest in the historical feat, Zachary told PEOPLE that he believes some of the people highlighting it have a definite agenda.

“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.

@zachwillmore So glad that keeps getting brought up☺️ #crying #straighteninghair #hair #curls #natural ♬ original sound – zeusuploadsssss

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.

“At this point, I think that some people intentionally misunderstand.”

A TikTok where he posted the official crowning was even removed after being reported by so many critics.

“I think a lot of people were coming to report it just because they were really upset,” says Zachary. “I am definitely so much tougher of a person because of that experience, because I did get death threats [sent] to my house.”

Zachary also expressed his continued pride at having won the title and become the first ever male homecoming queen in the state of Missouri,

“I definitely thought that it was going to be one of the other guys at my school because he was just so popular,” he told PEOPLE. “It was really nice. I was excited about it.”