An 18-year-old valedictorian in Cumberland County, North Carolina, is speaking out after school officials prevented him from acknowledging his transgender identity and addressing trans issues during his graduation speech, highlighting the growing wave of censorship faced by transgender youth across the country.
Gray Byrd, a recent graduate of E.E. Smith High School, stood at the podium as his class valedictorian earlier this month. In front of classmates, families, and school staff, he delivered a revised version of his speech, one that had been stripped of the most personal and powerful parts.
“As most of you may know, I am transgender,” Byrd said in his two-and-a-half-minute speech. “This fact about me has shifted my life in unimaginably difficult ways. But none of those obstacles have stopped me from living my life as myself.”
What he was not allowed to say, according to Byrd, was the heart of his message: a call to acknowledge the challenges transgender youth face and to remind rural and marginalized students that they are not alone.
“In my original speech, I mentioned transgender people are facing new levels of violence each day,” he explained. “The voices of transgender children are being overlooked.”
Byrd says he received an email from Cumberland County Schools on May 29 stating that his full speech would not be approved. The school board cited a policy banning “political or social statements” during graduation ceremonies, an increasingly common justification used to silence LGBTQ+ students across the United States.
His mother fought for the speech to be reinstated, but time ran out before the school board reconsidered. Byrd ultimately complied with the edited version, explaining that students were warned they would have their microphones cut, be escorted off stage, and risk having their diplomas withheld if they deviated from the approved script.
“I was just in shock this happened,” Byrd said. “You hear all these stories about the silencing of transgender youth, like I talked about in my speech. But it’s one of those things you don’t think will ever happen to you until it does.”
In a statement, Cumberland County Schools said it values all students and aims to maintain the “dignity and celebratory focus” of graduation ceremonies. “We are proud of the valedictorian’s many contributions to his school community and wish him continued success,” the district added.
But for Byrd, the real milestone came not at the podium but in the days that followed. Despite being told his truth wasn’t welcome on graduation day, he’s found the courage to share it publicly and with pride.
“Since graduation, I’ve found my voice to be stronger,” he said. “I won’t let myself be silenced again.”
For transgender students, especially in rural or conservative communities, Byrd’s experience is both familiar and infuriating. But it’s also a reminder: even when our words are cut short, our voices still matter, and they’re not going away.
