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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.
UpdatedSun, Jun 27, 2021 at 11:27 pm ET
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The valedictorian at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey, has told media outlets the microphone was cut off during the part of his graduation speech that mentioned his queer identity. (Shutterstock)
VOORHEES TOWNSHIP, NJ The valedictorian of a high school in Camden County said he was censored by school administrators while delivering the end-of-the-year speech at graduation earlier this month. The graduate, Bryce Dershem, has told media outlets it was because he began talking about his queer identity during the speech.
It was when that part of Dershem s speech was about to come up when his mic was cut off, Dersham, the 2021 Eastern Regional High School valedictorian told The Washington Post and NBC.
When this high school valedictorian started giving a speech about being queer, the principal took the mic cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.