NEW YORK: Fifth Grader Prohibited From Giving Speech In Support Of Marriage

Queens fifth grader Kameron Slade was prohibited from giving a speech supporting same-sex marriage when he competed in a school-wide competition.

His mother, who doesn't want to be identified, said the principal told her the topic is inappropriate. "For him to be denied the right to voice his opinion really upsets me," she said. "I was really looking forward to it," Kameron said. "I thought that this was a real good winning speech for tomorrow." Kameron's mother said he was told to choose any topic, so he chose same-sex marriage. But on Wednesday, the principal said he should write another speech or be removed from the contest. "She said that people have different opinions on it and that some parents may not want their children to learn about this type of topic," Kameron said. Kameron's speech calls for acceptance and tolerance. It describes his mother's explanation of the issue and his impression of his mother's friends who are gay. "They seemed happy," he said. "Best of all, they seemed to love each other. The only difference was that there were two moms instead of a mother and a father."

Zack Ford has the NY1 clip of Kameron reading his speech.

(Tipped by JMG reader Leo)