Parents of students at Kellogg High School in Kellog, Idaho, are outraged and mobilizing after administrators punished a senior by barring him from taking part in graduation ceremonies over his biologically correct stance that there are only two human genders — male and female.
During a recent assembly intended for soon-to-be graduating seniors to share their parting words of wisdom with underclassmen, an 18-year-old named Travis Lohr said, “Guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between,” according to the Shoshone News-Press.
Not long after he made his remarks, he was told that he would not be permitted to walk in the school’s graduation procession.
According to the local outlet, all seniors had to submit their planned remarks to school officials in advance. And while officials told him he was not allowed to say “guys are guys and girls are girls,” he did so anyone as a matter of standing up for his free speech rights.
“I feel that I shouldn’t be punished for believing in something that I believe,” Lohr told the News-Press. “It’s more that people took it the wrong way. Everyone can speak freely, I can’t see why I can’t voice my opinion.”
The Idaho Tribune posted a short video clip showing a large group of perhaps 100 or more parents and students gathering in protest of the school’s decision.
Over 100 parents and students protested Kellogg High School’s decision to punish a student for saying “Guys are guys and girls are girls. There is no in-between.”
In spite of today’s protest, Travis Lohr will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. pic.twitter.com/lS9gMsiZwl
— Idaho Tribune (@IdahoTribune) June 2, 2023
The outlet added, however: “In spite of today’s protest, Travis Lohr will not be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.”
Later Friday, the school district announced that it was postponing the Saturday graduation after allegedly receiving threats, according to KYQ-TV.
Nevertheless, Lohr is sticking by his comments, adding they were not meant to harm or belittle anyone.
“I would love to walk in my graduation ceremony. I don’t believe that I should be punished for what I said. I wasn’t directing it at anybody or any groups, it’s just something that I believe in,” Lohr told the Shoshone News-Press.
“Kids nowadays really support gay people, transgender people, and it wasn’t targeted at that, but there’s a lot of confusion about genders in the world today, and I figured that underclassmen might find something in me saying that,” he noted.
“There’s a lot of support for other genders and other groups, but yet I don’t see any support for people who just believe in two (genders). I don’t have any hatred toward gay people or transgenders — just like I hope they wouldn’t have any resentment toward me for believing what I believe,” he said.
