. “I felt as though they were trying to regulate the message I was going to say and take away the parts of my identity that I’m really proud of.”
“[Tull] pointed to the speech he had written for me, effectively, and told me I was to say that and nothing else,” Dershem told NBC10. “After I came out as queer freshman year, I felt so alone,” Dershem continued. “I didn’t know who to turn to for support, for guidance, for a hug. Every day at school I outwardly smiled, while inwardly questioning how we were supposed to link the different facets of our identities. Brother, sister, queen, queer lover, human being. Even though my family my friends and so many amazing Eastern faculty believed in me, I needed to accept the unapologetic version of myself, for myself. We all do.