INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The news came just hours before their high
school graduation ceremony was set to begin: Valedictorian Christian Bales and student council president Katherine Frantz would not be able
to give their speeches.It was a confusing announcement, as the two students thought administrators at Holy Cross High School - a Catholic
school in Covington, Kentucky - had approved their speeches beforehand
But in a phone call to the students' families on Friday morning, the school principal explained that in an "emergency meeting" the local
diocese had deemed the students' speeches inappropriate
The diocese had felt that Bales' speech, in particular, was "aggressive, angry and confrontational," according to the Cincinnati news
station WCPO.Bales, 18, felt that his speech was indispensable
It addressed the importance of youth advocacy at a time when the nation has its eye on teenagers, such as the students at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School, who have campaigned for stricter gun laws since a gunman opened fire on their Parkland, Florida, school in February,
And it praised his fellow student activists across the political spectrum - from those who spoke out about the Parkland tragedy to those who
participated in the antiabortion March for Life in January.So Bales and Frantz, still hoping to impart their advice to the Class of 2018,
delivered their speeches outside after the ceremony through a megaphone." 'The young people will win' is a mantra that I'm sure many of you
have heard if you've been attentive to the media recently
It's a phrase adopted by the prolific Stoneman Douglas teenagers who are advocating for an agenda - our rights to feel secure as humans,"
Bales said through a megaphone on a grassy lawn to a group of cheering fellow graduates, according to a video obtained by WCPO."As we enter
into the real world, we must remember that we have a voice," Bales said.Bales went on to say that it's sometimes the young who are the
wisest, as they have not been desensitized to the "atrocities of our world." Therefore, young people must "speak candidly about issues" and
"mustn't tremble in the face of the institutions" that try to silence them, he said."We are dynamic
We have a voice, and we're capable of using it in all communities," Bales said.The Washington Post was unable to obtain a copy or recording
of Frantz's speech and could not immediately reach her.Diocese of Covington spokesman Tim Fitzgerald told WCPO that the speeches were "found
to contain elements that were political and inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church." He added that the students had not met
the deadline for turning their speeches in to faculty.Fitzgerald and Principal Mike Holtz could not be immediately reached for comment.Bales
said he believed that he and Frantz were treated unfairly because of their outspokenness on social issues."The president is my best friend,
and we've been two huge advocates for social reform in our community, which has likely put us on the radar for the diocese," Bales told
WCPO.Bales' mother told WCPO that her family has been part of the diocese for years and that Holtz had never called her personally to talk
about Bales until last week
An initial phone call, she said, was to ensure that Bales, who identifies as gender non-confirming, would wear men's clothes, formal shoes,
a conservative hairstyle and no makeup to the graduation ceremony - as expected by diocesan officials.Holtz's next phone call was regarding
Bales' speech.Marksberry said the staff of Holy Cross had been supportive of her son and so she did not harbor any negative feelings about
the situation."We don't want to be vindictive; we don't want to be vengeful," she told WCPO
"That's not what this is about
He's earned the right to have a voice."Bales plans to study biology at the University of Louisville on a full scholarship in the fall,
He hopes to become a conservationist."We must take what we've learned in this community and apply it to the world we are about to
encounter," Bales said in closing his speech
" We are the young people, and we will continue to win."(This story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is auto-generated
