A New Jersey high school valedictorian says he was "censored" while delivering a speech at graduation about his experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community as well as his struggle with anorexia.
On June 17, Bryce Dershem, 18, addressed his peers at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees when he went off-script, according to NBC affiliate WCAU.
While in the middle of an emotional account in which he opened up about his mental health and sexuality, his mic suddenly got cut off.
"After I came out as queer freshman year, I felt so alone. I didn't know who to turn to," Dershem said in footage of the incident.
As the teen continued his heartfelt speech, the high school's principal, Dr. Robert M. Tull Jr., could be seen heading towards the other side of the podium and tending to the electrical wires.
It was then that Dershem's mic became mute and as seen in footage of the graduation address, Tull took the written copy of the student's speech away from him.
Initially, the teen was made to believe the mic cut had stemmed from a technical issue - but after Tull confronted him about the speech, it was clear that the issue was really its contents, he told WCAU.
"Dr. Tull came up to the stage he grabbed the paper I brought and crumpled it in front of me," Dershem said to the outlet. "He pointed to the speech he had written for me, effectively, and told me I was to say that and nothing else."
But Dershem refused to read out a speech that wasn't from the heart and he managed to recite the rest of his own speech from memory.
"As I was saying," he told the crowd, who applauded and cheered the precocious young man.
Dershem went into detail about his experience with anorexia and suicidal ideations in the parts of the speech that were audible, saying: "Before we can even start down this road of self-discovery, we've got to make sure we are doing okay and can handle the drive, especially when it comes to mental health.
"You are not alone in your fight... you never have to suffer alone in silence. If you have struggled or will struggle, I believe you and I hope you will believe others too."
"I did feel censored," the adolescent told the outlet, adding that he refused to remove the rainbow Pride flag on his graduation gown. "I felt as though they were trying to regulate the message I was going to say and take away the parts of my identity that I'm really proud of."
Robert Cloutier, the superintendent of Eastern Camden County Regional School District, has now weighed in, defending the school.
Cloutier said in an email to WCAU that graduation speeches are supposed to mention the speaker's educational experiences and include an "inclusive" message concerning the future of all students at the school.
"Every year, all student speakers are assisted in shaping the speech, and all student speeches - which are agreed upon and approved in advance - are kept in the binder on the podium for the principal to conduct the graduation ceremony," Cloutier wrote, per WCAU.
