A Houston high school forced out a
17-year-old student after learning that he had discussed being gay on
his YouTube.com channel.
According to KPRC2, officials at Luther
High School gave Austin Wallis an ultimatum: Delete the videos or
leave the school.
In
a video that has since gone viral, Wallis explains the situation
while sitting with his boyfriend.
“[The school's principal] basically
told me … I had to go back into the closet, which means that I had
to delete all my social media, including YouTube. I had to erase my
digital impact on the world.”
An emotional Wallis said that doing
that would be difficult because “this YouTube channel means the
world to me. And I love seeing the great response y'all have. I
love feeling that this helps people. It means a lot to me that I can
help a few people who might be feeling like they're not worth it or,
like, being gay is too hard.”
Wallis decided to leave the Christian
high school.
“When I came out, I knew I was going
to have bullies,” he said. “But I never expected it to be from
the people who are supposed to protect you from the bullies, who are
supposed to try to stop that.”
“I realize that I don't want to be
somewhere where I can be kicked out for being gay and being open
[about] it,” he told KPRC2.
Lutheran High North defended its
decision in a statement: “Lutheran High North welcomes all
students and their families to the LHN community. We profess and
proclaim our Christian beliefs with the foundations and authority
taught in the Bible, all within the teachings of the Lutheran Church
– Missouri Synod. We respectfully require students to adhere to
these accepted values and moral beliefs. Sometimes, as in this case,
students have to make choices and decide whether their beliefs align
with our community and we respect their choices. We also respect
student privacy and do not comment on any individual student or their
actions.”