Exclive: Gay High School Stunt Delivers Valedictorian Speech He Was Barred om Givg | Democracy Now!

Contents:

• EVAN YOUNG, GAY VALEDICTORIAN BARRED FROM GIVG SPEECH, FALLY GETS HIS CHANCE
• EVAN YOUNG SET TO REVEAL HE WAS GAY GRADUATN SPEECH BEFORE SCHOOL OUTED HIM
• EXCLIVE: GAY HIGH SCHOOL STUNT DELIVERS VALEDICTORIAN SPEECH HE WAS BARRED OM GIVG
• BLOCKG GAY VALEDICTORIAN'S SPEECH OK, REPORT COMMISSNED BY SCHOOL FDS
• WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 'THE OLD GAYS' MEET A YOUNG FAN WHO LOV DRS
• DID YOU THK EVAN HANSEN WAS GAY? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
• WHY DID PEOPLE THK DEAR EVAN HANSEN WAS A GAY MIL?
• HERE'S THE SPEECH A GAY VALEDICTORIAN WASN'T ALLOWED TO GIVE AT HIS GRADUATN
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT

EVAN YOUNG, GAY VALEDICTORIAN BARRED FROM GIVG SPEECH, FALLY GETS HIS CHANCE

A high school valedictorian barred om liverg his graduatn speech bee his school learned he was gog to e out as gay durg the addrs fally got the opportuny to share his story this Young, 18, ially planned to e out to his peers as gay durg his May 16 graduatn speech at Tw Peaks Charter Amy High School Longmont, Colorado. " This week, lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) group Out Boulr extend the opportuny for Young to liver his graduatn addrs to hundreds of people durg a fundraisg event the backyard of a private rince. "That's my biggt secret of all -- I'm gay, " Young told the dience.

When I was wrg this speech I was endlsly batg wh myself whether I should reveal this on acunt of how divisive an issue this is and how gay people tend to be stereotyped...

EVAN YOUNG SET TO REVEAL HE WAS GAY GRADUATN SPEECH BEFORE SCHOOL OUTED HIM

A Colorado charter school refed to let a class valedictorian liver a graduatn speech which he planned to e out as gay - and lled his parents and outed the teen Young, 18, said he agreed to make some suggted chang to the speech he planned to liver on May 16 at the mencement ceremony for Tw Peaks Charter Amy High School Longmont. I figured my gayns would be a very good way to addrs that.

' Before the ceremony, his father Don Young said the Tw Peaks Charter Amy High School prcipal lled and said speech was a problem bee his son planned to e out as gay, and his father hadn't known before that that his son was gay The school released this statement, fendg their cisn and sayg they have a right to edorial ntrolBefore the ceremony, Don Young said school prcipal PJ Buchmann lled and said the speech was a problem bee his son had mentned another stunt's name and planned to e out as Young said he and his wife didn't know their son was gay.

'It's wrong, and 's not fair, ' said Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulr, a gay activist group. I need to look up his recent works on Gay T0rr3nt and will get back to you when I get home, R4 + Anonymoreply 13November 5, 2020 9:39 PM. However, Evan was prevented om liverg his speech at his graduatn ceremony after school officials learned he planned to announce he was gay, as part of his broar msage about rpectg differenc.

EXCLIVE: GAY HIGH SCHOOL STUNT DELIVERS VALEDICTORIAN SPEECH HE WAS BARRED OM GIVG

His story has sparked natnal outcry om gay rights activists and alli all over the untry. The 18-year-old spoke at the annual fundraiser for the gay rights group Out Boulr. You may have already spected this, but I hope this do not change your opn of me: I am gay.

And that’s my biggt secret of all: I’m gay.

BLOCKG GAY VALEDICTORIAN'S SPEECH OK, REPORT COMMISSNED BY SCHOOL FDS

When I was wrg this speech, I was endlsly batg wh myself whether I should reveal this, on acunt of how divisive an issue this is and how gay people tend to be stereotyped, and I thought that, if I did, I should repeatedly apologize and beg you guys not to thk any differently of me. Hug a gay person while you’re at , too. His school prevented him om addrsg his classmat at graduatn after learng he planned to out himself as gay his speech.

On Sunday, he did get to liver that addrs at the annual garn party benefg the gay rights group Out Boulr. He pecially didn’t like the part where I said that I was gay.

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 'THE OLD GAYS' MEET A YOUNG FAN WHO LOV DRS

And then I ma most of the eds he asked me to, but I didn’t remove the part where he asked—where he told me—the part where I revealed that I’m gay, bee I thought that part was very important to the speech. He lled your parents and told them that you are gay?

The reason: Young planned to e out as gay durg the addrs. As we've reported, Young noted that he submted his speech advance to Prcipal Buchmann and even agreed to some eds — although he balked at the suggtn that he remove any reference to him beg gay.

Of urse, 's emently batable whether preventg Young om sayg he's gay had anythg to do wh "legimate pedagogil ncerns. The passag about potential discrimatn are more plex, wh discsns cludg legal precent regardg First Amendment rights and graduatn speech, as well as the most recent Supreme Court cisns regard to gay rights.

DID YOU THK EVAN HANSEN WAS GAY? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

But even though Evan’s school and his fay support his sartorial choic, his mom says that Evan “never see other Evans” the outsi ’s why was so important, she said, that Evan recently had the chance to meet TikTok sensatns "The Old Gays, " who ma sure they were appropriately drsed for the, a sgle adoptive mom to three children wh disabili, cludg Evan, has been stayg home wh them and votg time to buildg their social media platforms.

”McLeod had been followg "The Old Gays" on TikTok and is a fan. The foursome of gay men — Bill Lyons, Robert Reev, Jsay Mart and Michael “Mick” Peterson — have found viral social media fame their 60s and 70s through their funny and sometim touchg mentg on one of those vios, McLeod got touch wh their team and arranged to drive to their home two hours away so Evan uld meet them. ”Evan and "The Old Gays"Courty Eri (Eeka) McLeod"The Old Gays" enjoyed meetg Evan, too, and unrstood the importance of the moment.

”Reev, 78, said he grew up ral Arkansas durg a time when beg gay was not a public discsn. Although he said he knew om an early age that he was gay, “ was unregnized and unspoken, ” he said. Louis, where I broke away om my home life and started beg my own person, that I really started regnizg my gayns, ” Reev ntued.

WHY DID PEOPLE THK DEAR EVAN HANSEN WAS A GAY MIL?

“I do not rell when I was growg up seeg or knowg anyone who was obvly gay, and I certaly didn’t have any role mols the public sector at the time. ”When creatg ntent for their platform gets tricky, Reev said, ’s people like Evan that remd "The Old Gays" why their ntent is important.

”"The Old Gays" now have a lifelong fan Evan’s mom.

HERE'S THE SPEECH A GAY VALEDICTORIAN WASN'T ALLOWED TO GIVE AT HIS GRADUATN

“I nnot thank four old, gay men enough for not only takg time out of their day to show enuragement and kdns to a child they didn’t even know, but also to make the effort they did to fd drs they thought reprented themselv, brought them some level of joy, and f them well, " McLeod said. Vra Valley charter school’s learship is unr fire om gay rights activists and others for blockg a class valedictorian om givg a graduatn speech which he planned to out himself as gay. But he risted when Buchmann told him to also take out his disclosure of beg gay.

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN OUT AS GAY HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT

And then there was his g out that he was gay.

“I’d told him I’m not gog to remove the part where I say I’m gay, bee I am. In the Boulr Valley School District, 2013 Fairview High School graduate Ted Chalfen gave a mencement addrs — he had dned for the right to do so, as he was not a valedictorian — which he talked about his stat as a gay stunt.

Hearg on Thursday about Evan Young’s speech beg scuttled, Chalfen — who has jt pleted his sophomore year at the Universy of Colorado — said, “As sad as is, don’t shock me that this happened. In a sea of nned cktails, Gay Water wants to stand out. In other words, where Bud Light has buckled unr prsure as bigotry grows agast the LGBTQ+ muny, Gay Water’s creator Spencer Hodson wants his new boozy brand to be the anthis of that.