Talk show host Larry Wilmore gave Evan Young the opportunity of a lifetime.
The Nightly Show host invited the high school valedictorian from Colorado to appear in his New York City studio for last night's episode, to deliver his coming out commencement speech -- which made headlines this week when he was forbidden from making it as his graduation.
The principal at Peaks Charter Academy in Boulder, Colo. told Young he could not mention his sexual orientation in his graduation speech. Young, who has a 4.5 GPA and a scholarship to attend Rutgers University, was ultimately barred from making the speech to his graduation class, and was not honored as valedictorian.
And, according to reports, outed to his father by principal B.J. Buchanan.
Although he was never allowed to make his speech to his peers, he was able to make it to a very supportive and public crowd in his hometown, thanks to LGBT organization Out Boulder, and now, on the national stage on Wilmore's late night comedy show.
"When I was writing this speech I was endlessly debating with myself whether I should reveal this on account of how divisive an issue this is and how gay people tend to be stereotyped and I thought that if I did, I should repeatedly apologize and beg you guys not to think any differently of me," Young said. "But then I realized, I don't have to. I shouldn't have to. If there's one thing I learned at this school, it's that we can still be friends even if we profoundly disagree with each other. "
Watch his entire speech in the clips below.
