A gay teen was told by his principal to shut up about his sexuality
or he could face expulsion.
Austin Wallis, an American student who posts vidoes on YouTube,
recently showed him reduced to tears after he recounted the story of how he was
forced to change schools.
‘I hope that my story will make a difference in someone else’s life
and maybe I can change things so this will never happen again’, he said.
Wallis, who was a student at a small, Christian private school in
Texas, was called into the principal’s office two weeks ago where he was told
his principal knew about the vlogger's sexuality.
When Wallis’ mother came in with him the next day, he was given a
choice that felt like he was one misstep away from being expelled.
He says: ‘The gist of it was: I had to go back into the closet.
Which means I had to delete all my social media, including YouTube. I had to
erase my digital impact on the world. And he said I’ll have to do that to stay
at the school.’
The heartbreaking video sees Wallis, supported by his partner
Nicolay, stop occasionally because he is unable to speak through the tears.
'I couldn’t live with the fact of being at a school where they
consider what I am really wrong.’
It was not the prospect of deleting all his social media activities
that made Wallis decide to leave the school before he was being expelled, which
he was sure would have happened, but the feeling that he was forced into being
something that he was not – and the feeling of being rejected by his own
principal.
‘When I came I out I knew I was going to have bullies and I knew
people wouldn’t be okay with it. But I never expected it from the people who
are supposed to protect you from the bullies, who are supposed to stop that.
And then they themselves are the bullies,' Wallis adds.
The principal said he saw Wallis’ videos was reflecting badly on
the school, even though the teen did not mention the school or any teachers by
name and never wore the uniform in his videos.
‘I think it’s ridiculous that people are allowed to exclude
children and teens for what they are,' he said. ‘I feel like that’s the most
disgusting thing ever.’
He puts no blame on the teachers but says that some of them were
outraged at what happened to their student.
Wallis, who describes himself as Christian, said: ‘I feel like you
should be able to have Christian beliefs and still feel like everybody belongs.’
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