Idaho Graduation Ceremony Postponed After Students Protested Discipline Of Student Who Made 'Unapproved' Gender Comments

"Boys are boys and girls are girls, and there's no in between."

That's what Kellogg High School senior Travis Lohr said.

And because he stated this simple biological reality, the school will not allow him to walk at his graduation ceremony.

Lohr made the comments at an end-of-the-year assembly. Students participating in the assembly were supposed to submit their speeches for approval beforehand. But the school says Lohr read a different speech when he took the stage.

"The seniors got to say one piece of advice or one thing they wanted to tell the rest of school, and he said, 'Boys are boys and girls are girls, and there's no in between,'" KHS junior Jaeger Hall said. "We could see on the face of some of the teachers they weren't happy with his comment."

So they banned Lohr from participating in his graduation.

"The Kellogg High School administration firmly believes in the rights of all students and strives to provide a safe, nurturing environment where students are challenged to demonstrate individual responsibility, attain academic excellence, achieve personal success and involve themselves in lifelong learning activities," the district said in a statement.

So they believe in the "rights of all students." Except the right to free speech, apparently.

High School Postpones Graduation Ceremony

In protest of the school's disciplinary decision, more than 30 students walked out Friday, and dozens of parents joined in the parking lot.

In total, more than 100 people gathered outside Kellogg High School to protest Lohr's punishment.

"Let him walk!" they chanted at their peaceful demonstration.

And thousands on social media joined in their cause.

"If Travis Lohr promoted BLM at a school assembly, or endorsed child mutilations, or called Trump Hitler, nothing would have happened to him," Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk tweeted. "But instead he said that 'boys are boys,' so he's been barred from participating in his high school graduation — in Idaho!"

Even school bus driver Dakota Mailloux — who was off duty at the time — joined the parents, waving an American flag and standing for free speech.

The school fired Mailloux on the spot.

School bus driver Dakota Mailloux lost his job for participating in the protest. (Twitter: @IdahoTribune)

Superintendent Lance Pearson says the students who walked out Friday will receive an absent mark with no excuse.

And yes, Lohr will still have to sit out the graduation ceremony.

Because of the protest, though, the school postponed the ceremony originally set for Saturday.

"The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office has informed the Kellogg School District of concerns regarding the safety of students, staff and families due to a number of outside groups and agitators," the district said in a Facebook post. 

The school will reschedule the graduation "when it is determined that the ceremony can be held safely."