Gay Valedictorian’s Speech Banned at Colorado High School
Being named valedictorian is a big deal. A very big deal. So when 18-year-old Evan Young was named valedictorian of his Colorado high school, he was thrilled. He planned his entire graduation speech, and at the end he would come out to his fellow classmates. Too bad, he was banned from giving it at the last-minute.
Principal BJ Buchmann asked Evan to edit his speech, which he agreed to do. However, he did not agree to omit the mention of his sexuality, which caused Buchmann to cancel the speech and not even recognize him as valedictorian at the graduation ceremony.
“My main theme is that you’re supposed to be respectful of people, even if you don’t agree with them,” Young told local press. “I figured my gayness would be a very good way to address that.”
As if the speech cancellation wasn’t bad enough, Buchmann then proceeded to out Young to his parents before the teen could tell them himself. About the outing, Young said:
“My parents are very liberal. I think they were totally OK with it. But I was not OK with it. I think what it mainly showed is that he didn’t have a lot of sympathy for me, or someone in my position.
He didn’t understand how personal a thing it was, and that I wasn’t just going to share it with people randomly, for no reason. I thought it was very inconsiderate for him to do something like that, especially without asking me first.”
The school’s attorney, Barry Arrington, stated that Young’s speech was not an appropriate time to “push his personal agenda on a captive audience.” The school’s board of directors took it a step further, saying that the speech had been cancelled in order to “protect the solemnity of the evening and to preserve and protect the mission of the school.” Clearly the school feels no regret for the decision.
Out Boulder invited the teen to deliver his speech at their annual awards event this past Sunday.
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