BERKELEY – Student leaders used their Central Regional High School graduation speeches to address topics important to them – including equal rights for gay people – although some don’t think this was the appropriate time or place.
Class president Douglas O’Dea talked about experiences at Central like most graduation speeches. He also said that when given the ability to speak to a large crowd, he needed to address the anti-LGBTQ+ laws that are being passed elsewhere in the country, particularly Florida.
“Our love and happiness are human experiences, not a political agenda,” he said.
“If there’s one thing I want you to remember from my speech, my fellow graduates and the audience, is to love each other. Treat people with kindness regardless of their differences and utilize your voice to speak out against injustice because at this moment, there is a war unraveling right under our noses…a war against human rights that we cannot stay silent about,” he said.
Salutatorian Tate Boguszewski spent about half of her speech talking about the difficulty of spending the majority of the graduating class’ high school years in the pandemic. Studying remotely and social isolation compounded the stresses of being a teenager. However, these challenges have made them who they are now.
“Hopefully none of you are the same people you were freshman year. I mean, I walked through these doors straight and came out gay,” she said. She said that everyone listening was probably judged and ridiculed for being who they were. “Being true to yourself is liberating.”
“Was I judged and ridiculed when I came out? Yes. Did I also see so much love and support from people who truly cared about me? Yes. The fact that I am no longer afraid to be who I am feels amazing,” she said. “There are a lot of adults who are miserable because they didn’t take advantage of opportunities they had when they were our age.”
Valedictorian Lexi Sierfeld took a moment to honor the memory of Adriana Kuch and talked about the importance of mental health and anti-bullying.
There was a lot of cheering during these speeches, but not everyone supported the calls for compassion and activism. There were a lot of comments online criticizing the two students who talked about homosexuality, but none about other speeches.
“Politics and agendas don’t belong in graduation ceremonies” was a common refrain, as was “don’t shove your agenda down my throat.”
A commenter said “personal experiences shouldn’t be put into the speech” because a speech should be about the entire graduating class.
One commenter took issue with Boguszewski referring to a quote from “my lord and savior Lady Gaga.” The commenter said “I’ve been so upset all morning thinking how hypocritical it was in one speech to call for acceptance, compassion and love for all and then insult every Christian by calling Lady Gaga her lord and savior. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Acceptance, compassion and love works both ways!”
It is unclear if these commentors were at the graduation or just watched it online.
Several people asked if school officials had approved the speeches. The school did not comment on this issue.
