My Turn: Reflecting on Pride Month concordmonitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from concordmonitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Drop the Mic: Meet the Queer Valedictorian Who Would Not Be Silenced June 29, 2021|
“As I was saying…”
Such a simple sentiment, yet what a profound impact. Bryce Dershem was delivering his valedictory speech at the Eastern Regional High School commencement ceremony in Voorhees, New Jersey when he began serving too much realness for the powers-that-be.
“After I came out as queer freshman year, I felt so alone. I didn’t know who to turn to for support.”
But before Dershem could finish his statement, Principal Robert Tull illustrated the exact bigotry the star student was describing. The administrator pulled the plug on the teenager, then approached his podium. After crumpling Dershem’s prepared remarks, Principal A-hole ordered the pupil to read a safer, more sanitized speech.
Student censored for sexual identity and mental illness remarks miamitimesonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miamitimesonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
High school valedictorian defies anti-LGBTQ+ censorship
By Betsey Piette posted on June 28, 2021
Wearing a graduation cap with rainbow colors and a militant fist, Bryce Dershem, valedictorian at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, N.J., began his June 17 commencement speech: “After I came out as queer freshman year, I felt so alone. I didn’t know who to turn to for support.” Voorhees is only 20 miles from Philadelphia, where there is a vibrant LGBTQ+ community.
Bryce Dershem displays his graduation cap.
A video by Dershem’s father captured what happened next: Principal Robert Tull cuts off Dershem’s microphone, grabs his speech from the podium and crushes the pages. (tinyurl.com/ync2bvh7)
Valedictorian shares his coming out story â even after principal tries to stop him
The principal crumpled his speech up into a ball so he recited it from memory.
By
Morgan Sung on June 28, 2021
A high school valedictorian s speech was cut short when he began speaking about his experience as an LGBTQ teenager and his mental health struggles. Despite protest from his principal and pressure to stick to a pre-approved speech, he continued anyway.
Bryce Dershem graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey, on June 17. The 18-year-old adorned his graduation robe with a rainbow flag, and his cap with the Black Lives Matter fist superimposed on the trans flag s stripes. He hoped his valedictorian address would inspire his classmates, who had completed high school amid a devastating pandemic and difficult remote learning.