One teen in St. Chatherines, Ontario had to fight his school administration to be allowed to write a positive gay message in his yearbook profile.
Blair Gaboury, a gay student at Dean Morris High School, wanted to write a simple message to his fellow students:
“It’s brighter outside of the closet.”
The 17-year-old anonymously delivered the message after it was flagged by a teacher who wanted the school administration to review it.
[ Related: Gay-Straight BFF’s Share Their Touching Prom Story ]
After owning up to the comment, the teen said that it was rejected by two vice-principals who deemed the message unacceptable and controversial! Over that weekend, Gaboury took to social media to voice his frustrations:
The Niagara Catholic School Board can sugar coat it all they want… But the fact is they promote DISCRIMINATION
— *Blair*Gaboury* (@2525Blair) May 22, 2015
He even scribed a letter to Ellen Degeneres in hopes of his story being heard, writing about his meeting with school officials:
“I was told by a staff member that I could be embarrassed ├óΓé¼┬ª for doing so, and that I should not want to be remembered as ├óΓé¼╦£the gay kid in high school.’ “
Why should he be ashamed of being remembered as a “gay kid?”
On the following Monday, school principal Danny DiLorenzo overturned the decision, allowing Gaboury’s message to appear in the yearbook — but he received a three day suspension for bad mouthing the school online!
DiLorenzo asserted that the issue was not about denying the quote, but just part of the process because the statement was handed in anonymously.
Whether the issue was a result of miscommunication or not, we think it’s great how passionately Gaboury fought to show acceptance and help empower people!
[Image via St. Catherines Standard.]
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