Dalton Maldonado has been embraced by people from around the world since coming out publicly several months ago. Yet he has felt rejection and intimidation by administrators at Betsy Layne High School in Kentucky, where he played basketball.
When his senior basketball picture was left out of the yearbook, it was another slap in the face. This time, however, he's not going to let it go, insisting this was no "mistake." The superintendent of schools in his area called Maldonado professing pride in the athlete and claiming his exclusion from the boys basketball page was just an oversight. He went on to blame Maldonado for failing to return an approved version of the photo the yearbook was interested in using.
When Outsports asked Maldonado if he had been asked at any point for a photo to be used, he said, "of course not," and sent us this photo that the photographer had taken along with the rest of his teammates.
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Earlier today, after receiving many good wishes and lots of support from all over the country, I received a call from the superintendent of schools. He told me that I was in the annual fifteen times, and that they may have over looked my senior basketball picture. He went on to say that they were going to make a new annual and he hoped I knew they were so proud of me. However, here is the picture that should have been in the yearbook, along with the rest of the senior basketball players! They took Outsports' first article about my experience and swept it under the rug, as if the harassment and humiliation never happened! I refuse to let this happen again! I was a senior point guard who had played for three years, and I was even in the center of the team picture. I don't care if I was in other parts 100 times, my individual picture wasn't in there! I find it unbelievable that their "investigation" took less than one whole school day and once again they're just letting it go! I will not stop fighting this. No one deserves this, and I'll make sure no other LGBT teen in Floyd Co has to face this type of discrimination!
We hope Maldonado continues to have a big impact on his school and his area of Kentucky. No LGBT student should face problems because they decided to come out.
