FARGO (AP) - Jakob Paper and Steven Goering plan to make history here, and hopefully gain a little acceptance in the process.

Paper, a Fargo South High School senior, and Goering, who is getting his high school diploma from the North Dakota Division of Independent Study, plan to attend the South prom Saturday at the Fargo Civic Memorial Auditorium.

The 18-year-olds will do the Grand March together as boyfriends and be introduced on stage with the other couples.

"Nobody's ever done it as far as I'm aware," Paper said of two gay men attending a local prom.

"For the people in Fargo and North Dakota, especially, it's really important to see this," he said.

Paper has been open about his homosexuality since eighth grade. Goering, who recently moved to Fargo from Mayville, said he told his parents four years ago and most of his friends in January.

"It's going to be interesting," Goering said of the prom. "I figure it's going to be a good experience. It's scary because it's North Dakota and everybody's hush-hush about it (homosexuality). But it's an up-and-coming issue. People are going to have to get used to it somewhere."

South officials earlier this year approved a request to allow same-sex couples in the march, said Assistant Principal Jennifer Fremstad.

The principals at South and North High in Fargo and West Fargo High School say they are not aware of any gay male couples taking part in the Grand March in previous years.

Laurie Schlenker, a counselor at South who works with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, said it is not unusual for two young women to walk the Grand March together.

"They may not be lesbians; they just might be friends," she said. "There's that weird standard out there. It seems in our society it's more acceptable for two girls to do it than two guys."

Goering said he attended past proms in Mayville with girls who were friends.

"(Prom is) not new to me. It's new with a guy," he said. "I'm just going to have fun. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it."

Paper said he is excited and nervous.

"We're still trying to figure out what to wear," he said.