Valedictorian says school wouldn't allow him to speak at graduation because he wrote about being gay
A valedictorian at a Wisconsin private school claims that he was not permitted to deliver a speech to the class of 2019 because he discussed his struggles with being a gay student. Instead, he states, the salutatorian was allowed to give a speech during the commencement ceremony last Friday.
Nat Werth, a new graduate of Sheboygan Lutheran High School, says that after administration read the draft of his speech, they requested he remove references to his being gay, as well as parts which critiqued biblical scriptures regarding homosexuality. Werth planned to explain the scriptures were "outdated, mistranslated, or misinterpreted in their respectively Biblical, cultural and historical contexts," according to the Sheboygan Press.
Werth says that he offered to work with administrators to revamp his speech, but he was informed he would not be allowed to speak at graduation.
The student claims that, despite it being par the course in previous years for valedictorians to address the graduating class during the ceremony, the salutatorian was permitted to speak in his place. Executive Director of Sheboygan Lutheran Paul Gnan, who did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle's requests for comment, would not confirm if the school's valedictorian typically gives a speech at graduation to the Sheboygan Press.
Gnan told the outlet that the school's policies regarding LGBTQ issues were based on biblical principles. "There are policies in our handbook that talk about our faith and our belief system and what it's based on," Gnan said.
Werth shared on Facebook that, despite being unable to speak at graduation, he is proud of the difference he made at the school.
The accomplished student will attend Northeastern University in Boston to study entrepreneurship and innovation. He hopes that his recent struggle at Sheboygan Lutheran will help promote a more inclusive school in the future.
"I want to leave behind a school that won't treat anyone the way that I was treated," Werth said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay Werth's tuition at the school by a supporter in the Sheboygan community. Due to the number of scholarships Werth has received, his tuition totals $17,000 per year.
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