New York fifth-grader barred from giving speech in support of same-sex marriage

On June 14, fifth-grader Kameron Slade was told by the principal of his school in Queens, New York, that he would not be allowed to compete in a school-wide speaking competition because his topic—same-sex marriage—was "inappropriate" for children.

Unfortunately for school officials, NY1 picked up the story, allowing Slade's speech to be heard by anyone with an Internet connection.

"Some adults may feel uncomfortable and think it’s inappropriate to talk about this to children," Slade says in his speech. "I think adults must realize that as children get older, they become aware of these mature issues that are going on in the world. If children read or watch the news, they can learn about things like same-gender marriage, so what’s the point in trying to hide it?"

Kameron, we salute you.

Follow Miranda Nelson on Twitter at @charenton_.You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/StraightLGBT.