[Pigeon Lady]

Colorado senior Evan Young was a model student. He finished his high school career with an impressive 4.5 GPA and a scholarship to Rutgers University, and he was named Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School’s valedictorian. But when school officials read a draft of his graduation speech—a customary honor given to the highest achiever—they opted to silence the student.





The talking point principal BJ Buchmann had a problem with was Young’s revelation that he is gay. Young planned to disclose his sexual orientation publicly for the first time during his speech.

“My main theme is that you’re supposed to be respectful of people, even if you don’t agree with them,” Young told The Denver Post on Thursday. “I figured my gayness would be a very good way to address that.”

Young sent a copy of his speech to the school administrators, who returned it to him with requested changes, most of which Young said he made. But when it came to omitting his sexual orientation, Young drew the line.

“I’d told him I’m not going to remove the part where I say I’m gay, because I am. It’s important to me,” said Young.

Adding insult to injury, the principal also called Young’s parents to let them know about the problem with the speech, and in doing so outed the 18-year-old to his mother and father.

“My parents are very liberal. I think they were totally OK with it,” said Young. “But I was not OK with it.”

The administration’s unsympathetic treatment ultimately left Young speechless at the May 16 graduation. According to Young, he was only informed that his speech was canceled minutes before the ceremony, and he was further dismayed that the school declined to even mention his academic achievements during the commencement event.

The school board issued a statement Thursday, saying that it was well within its rights to censor Young’s speech in order to “to protect the solemnity of the evening and to preserve and protect the mission of the school,” adding that “references to personal matters of a sexual nature…are never appropriate for a speech at a graduation ceremony.”

The school’s attorney, Barry Arrington, added that “[Graduation] is not a time for a student to use his commencement speech to push his personal agenda on a captive audience.”

The school’s treatment of Young is not an isolated incident. Almost 75 percent of LGBT students report instances of verbal harassment and bullying at school. As many as 56 percent of LGBT students reported discriminatory practices based on their sexual orientation or identity, according to the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network 2014 report.

While his school’s graduation ceremony has come and gone, Young will have a chance to give his speech on his own terms. Out Boulder, an LGBT advocacy group, is providing him with a supportive venue in which to deliver his speech on Sunday—no revisions required



http://news.yahoo.com/controversial-...164016528.html

[arista]

Could you not add "USA:"
first please

[Pigeon Lady]

Originally Posted by arista

Could you not add "USA:"
first please

..no Arista, I had to reword it several times to fit into the character limit already/no more room...

[Pigeon Lady]

..oh I just fitted it in by removing 'by' from the title...

[GypsyGoth]

I went to their site to see what their mission statement was:

"Our Mission

Twin Peaks Charter Academy provides students with a rigorous education and the foundations of virtue and character, building cultural literacy through a content-rich curriculum in an encouraging environment."

http://www.twinpeakscharter.org/about/our-values

So the school is wrong in my opinion. Him coming out isn't against their mission statement and the event wouldn't have been any less solemn.

In fact by their bigotry, they not only tried to damage the character of their best and brightest (that goes against their mission statement), they've tarnish their whole school, not just the evening.

[Pigeon Lady]

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth

I went to their site to see what their mission statement was:

"Our Mission

Twin Peaks Charter Academy provides students with a rigorous education and the foundations of virtue and character, building cultural literacy through a content-rich curriculum in an encouraging environment."

http://www.twinpeakscharter.org/about/our-values

So the school is wrong in my opinion. Him coming out isn't against their mission statement and the event wouldn't have been any less solemn.

In fact by their bigotry, they not only tried to damage the character of their best and brightest (that goes against their mission statement), they've tarnish their whole school, not just the evening.

..oh great research with the mission statement Claudia.....yeah, there is nothing 'frivolous' or lacking of seriousness in someone revealing their sexuality, whatever the occasion and in fact quite a tribute to the high school that he would choose to do it on there and on that solemn occasion..can you imagine how long he's been holding that and how anxious and nervous it maybe made him...and how honoured they should have been, what an inspiration to others...but not only refusing him it but also then to 'out' him to his parents...

[Toy Soldier]

To be honest, you would have to see the exact content and wording of the speech to know whether or not it was appropriate for the event. Mentioning his sexuality to out himself "in passing", fine, but if he was trying to turn the entire event into his own personal coming out party? I can see why they would put a stop to that. It's a high school graduation and a big day for everyone graduating, his speech should be about everyone and on behalf of everyone, not a memememe spotlight.

[Toy Soldier]

However, yes, being indiscreet and outing him to his parents is a massive blunder. My hope is that someone mistakenly assumed they already knew and it wasn't a deliberate act, because that would be a seriously crappy thing to do on purpose.

[Kizzy]

Those others attending won't really care about his coming out.... When it's my daughters graduation next month the whole stage can be sat there in suspenders and nipple tassles I'm there for her

[Tom4784]

It sounds like the school is pretty bigoted, let's hope the story blows up and the leadership are thrown out.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

It sounds like the school is pretty bigoted, let's hope the story blows up and the leadership are thrown out.

I genuinely don't know that there's any evidence of that, though. There's nothing to say that they wouldn't have been happy for him to do it at his prom, in the school grounds, call an assembly even... Just that they didn't want it as part of his graduation speech. Which I understand really. The event is, surely, about academic achievement and someone's sexual orientation - whatever it may be - really had nothing to do with that. It's "off topic". The tibby mods would have deleted it too .

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I genuinely don't know that there's any evidence of that, though. There's nothing to say that they wouldn't have been happy for him to do it at his prom, in the school grounds, call an assembly even... Just that they didn't want it as part of his graduation speech. Which I understand really. The event is, surely, about academic achievement and someone's sexual orientation - whatever it may be - really had nothing to do with that. It's "off topic". The tibby mods would have deleted it too .

It's naive to think they cut it because it was 'off topic' especially when it says in the article that the school has a history of discrimination. The speech could have been a good way for the leadership of the school to take a stand against the bullying and discrimination against LGBT students but they decided to censor it instead with means they've sided with the bullies.

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's usually a duck and this school is blatantly homophobic.

[Samuel.]

Why oh why do I always have to look at the comments on Yahoo articles. Always appalling.