This past June 17 Bryce Dershem began delivering his high school valedictorian speech before a packed audience, including his nearly 500 classmates, faculty members, and about 2,000 guests at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey.

He had wanted the speech to be personal – a positive message of ‘just believing in yourself, knowing that you’re enough, and embracing your identity.’

He said the first few drafts were ‘trash, absolutely trash.’ But he kept writing.

He wanted to connect with others who, like him, had been struggling. He wanted his message to be personal.

When he began by mentioning his coming out as a freshman, his principal walked onto the stage, grabbed the handwritten speech, and crumpled it in plain view of Bryce and the audience.

A man pulls up to the hardware store and watched this take place right in front of him. He takes a picture of this kindness and wanted to share. This is his account of what he saw…