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Now this is brave Gay Texas teen comes out in graduation speech

Dapper Andy said:
Can you imagine how different this thread would be if he announced his conversion to Christianity?
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"Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am hereby converting to the religion of the majority of this country."

Yeah...doesn't have as much impact.
 
Removable Mind said:
I think he did it because he could. Apparently self-interest is the new theme. Looks like graduation speeches will become a free for all henceforth. Might be a good change of pace. What better way to exit from the world of theory and display one's first public application of free speech?
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Self-interest is the motivation behind most actions...
 
GottaGo said:
While I have no issue with someone saying what they want, nor have a problem with anybody being gay.

But isn't the Valedictorian's speech suppose to be about what the STUDENTS as a whole have accomplished, and the direction they are headed? That's the way I remember it. :shrug:
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Given the reaction he received, it appears most were in agreement...
 
GottaGo said:
While I have no issue with someone saying what they want, nor have a problem with anybody being gay.

But isn't the Valedictorian's speech suppose to be about what the STUDENTS as a whole have accomplished, and the direction they are headed? That's the way I remember it. :shrug:
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Did you read it? He took his own personal experience and related it to the experience any student may face in the future.
 
Heebie Jeebie said:
What makes people think anyone wants to hear about their sexual preferance, especially if they weren't asked about it in the first place?
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These perverts wear it like a badge of honor.
 
CriticalThought said:
Did you read it? He took his own personal experience and related it to the experience any student may face in the future.
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I read it. Doesn't change what I think, however.

My high school graduation Valedictorian was a black female in a predominately white graduating class . Not one part of her speech made any mention of race. It was all about WE and US.
 
Kal'Stang said:
Why should his folks rot? Apparently they've been very supportive of him....



KTEM EXCLUSIVE: Belton High School Student Comes Out To Family, Friends During Graduation Speech
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He had been referring to Jonathan Allen, America's Got Talent, whose parents threw him out when he told them he was gay.

As for the young Belton student, as much courage as I know it took, and as supportive as I am for the plight of all in the LBGT community, a graduation ceremony is not the appropriate venue for "coming out" to a captive audience who is there to celebrate a graduation, not hear religious recitation nor sexuality confessions.
 
nota bene said:
I'm not going to say that or anything like it, only that taking your stand--prayer, coming out, whatever, during such a speech is self-aggrandizing and not appropriate to the moment.
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It sounds more like they didn't treated him very well and got what they deserved.
 
GottaGo said:
While I have no issue with someone saying what they want, nor have a problem with anybody being gay.

But isn't the Valedictorian's speech suppose to be about what the STUDENTS as a whole have accomplished, and the direction they are headed? That's the way I remember it. :shrug:
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Sure, but every valedictorian speech I have ever heard was also interspersed with comments about the valedictorian's own journey.
 
GottaGo said:
I read it. Doesn't change what I think, however.

My high school graduation Valedictorian was a black female in a predominately white graduating class . Not one part of her speech made any mention of race. It was all about WE and US.
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Good for her. My high school Valedictorian was a gay guy who never mentioned he was gay but advocated appreciating what life had to offer. What is your point?
 
CriticalThought said:
Good for her. My high school Valedictorian was a gay guy who never mentioned he was gay but advocated appreciating what life had to offer. What is your point?
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That a speech such as this, IMO, wasn't quite the place to say what he did. It seems that he focused more on himself than the students as a whole.
 
nota bene said:
I'm not going to say that or anything like it, only that taking your stand--prayer, coming out, whatever, during such a speech is self-aggrandizing and not appropriate to the moment.
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Not appropriate according to whom? There's nothing inherently self-aggrandizing about coming out, or prayer. It's not "oooh look at me I'm gay wheee!!" It takes tremendous courage to do something like this, not knowing what the reaction will be like.
 
GottaGo said:
That a speech such as this, IMO, wasn't quite the place to say what he did. It seems that he focused more on himself than the students as a whole.
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Interesting criticism. Do you have that feeling about all graduation speeches where students try to offer their personal experiences in a way the class can relate to or just when the speaker comes out as gay?
 
StillBallin75 said:
Cue the ignorant "this kid is just a gay attention whore" comments now.
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You mean like the kid who recited the Lord's Prayer? :lol: Of course, he wasn't just an attention whore. He was also called a hypocrite and a douchebag.

I'll be watching this thread with interest.
 
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He doesn't have to announce in to his entire community. No need to be an idiotic, attention brat. It would be the same as me announcing to everybody that I am going out with so and so at my local bar.

StillBallin75 said:
Cue the ignorant "this kid is just a gay attention whore" comments now.
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X Factor said:
You mean like the kid who recited the Lord's Prayer? :lol:
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Not brave at all. To recite the Lord's Prayer is pandering to the audience here. To come out as gay here in Texas is a challenge with the conventions where our govonor actively campaigns for President on things like this:

 
CriticalThought said:
"Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am hereby converting to the religion of the majority of this country."

Yeah...doesn't have as much impact.
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Converting to a religion is still an important personal decision regardless of you wanting to downplay it. /shrug
 
Texmex said:
These perverts wear it like a badge of honor.
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This is your opinion... which as I have told you is valueless when discussing facts.
 
Truthfully, all these people making political, religious, or personal revelations in their graduation speeches really annoy me. Somewhat reminds me of someone telling a very personal/political/religious secret... on Jerry Springer.
 
Ikari said:
What makes people think anyone wants to hear the lord's prayer, especially if they weren't asked about it first?

Who really cares?
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A lot of people probably don't want to hear it at a very unexpected time and place. I would think it pretty odd to hear a Hall of Fame inductee break into it during their acceptance speech. It would be just as odd if they announced they were gay then.
 
CriticalThought said:
Interesting criticism. Do you have that feeling about all graduation speeches where students try to offer their personal experiences in a way the class can relate to or just when the speaker comes out as gay?
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Nice try, but if you want to fish, you've picked the wrong pond.

It has nothing to do with the actual subject matter, it has to do with the I and not the we. Though 'bullying' seems to include an awful lot of things that are built to protect the tender feelings of kids these days, regardless of their sexual orientation, the majority of students don't go through true bullying. So I feel his parallel is not well drawn. To use his speech to announce to his parents/friends that he is gay, well, his choice, but not the best place to do it IMO.
 
GottaGo said:
To use his speech to announce to his parents/friends that he is gay, well, his choice, but not the best place to do it IMO.
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Yep. There were probably a lot better places to announce it, like maybe at his graduation party or at breakfast the next day, places where people who might actually have an interest would be. But hey maybe his folks like surprises!
 
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