mental health. Tull, however, forbade him to mention either. Finally, Tull gave Dershem an “approved” version of the speech, which scrubbed all references to sexuality and mental health.
According to Dershem, Tull thought referring to either would alienate members of the audience.“I felt like I was faced with this choice where I could either honor all the belief systems and virtues that I cultivated,” Dershem revealed, “or I could just follow the administration.”Related: Governor tells Matt Gaetz never to return to New Jersey after he attends superspreader partyWith a bit of encouragement from his family, Dershem memorized the full speech and opted to give it on graduation day over Tull’s objections.