The case for legalizing gay marriage is being made in New York, but not in the mayor’s office or even the state’s capital. It’s coming from Kameron Slade, a fifth-grade student at PS 195 in New York City. When the student participated in a contest in which he had to give a speech in front of his entire school, he went big, choosing to take on the controversial topic of same-sex marriage.
However, not only was Slade barred from giving the speech, but his principal reportedly also told him he would be removed from the contest entirely if he did not choose a different topic. Here are some excerpts from his so-called “controversial” speech:
SLADE: Some people are for same-gender marriage, while others are against it. Like President Obama, I believe that all people should have the right to marry whoever they want. Marriage is about love, support, and commitment. So who are we to judge? If we judge people like this, this is a form of prejudice. We must learn to accept all differences.[...]
My mom is very open to me about same-gender marriage. However, some adults may feel uncomfortable and think it’s inappropriate to talk about this to children. I think adults must realize that as children get older, they become aware of these mature issues that are going on in the world. If children read or watch the news, they can learn about things like same-gender marriage, so what’s the point in trying to hide it?
In conclusion, I hope that everyone understands how important it is to respect everyone for who they are. Same-gender marriage is becoming more popular. I believe that same-gender marriage should be accepted worldwide and that parents and teachers should start to discuss these issues without shame to their children.
There has been an update to this story…apparently the school’s Chancellor-Dennis Walcott said that they allowed Kameron to give his speech during a special assembly of 5th graders that took place on Monday. The principal in question reached out to the parents of the Kameron’s classmates to inform them about the content of the speech.
Seems to me that this 5th grader is a lot smarter than all the right-wingers in this country.
