Trans salutatorian’s powerful graduation speech puts Mississippi school’s mistreatment on display

His commencement speech was greeted with applause and even cheers, but Jonas Hole, Salutatorian of the Class of 2026 at his Mississippi high school, had to endure being called “young lady,” being misgendered, and deadnamed by the same administrators who handed him his diploma. “Despite my own self-acceptance, others judged me without understanding me. I became my label, and it felt as if my achievements, hardships, personality, all became irrelevant for the sole fact that I present myself differently," he said. Hole identifies as transmasculine.Video of his address, posted on Facebook by a Biloxi mom who attended Saturday’s ceremony, drew hundreds of comments, many of them supportive amid a chorus of hateful remarks and derogatory references to the Bible, chromosomes, and mental illness. Related: Mississippi school allegedly edited transgender salutatorian’s face after deadnaming him online"I went to his graduation last night, and they did refer to him as 'she,' 'young lady,' and deadnamed him publicly," wrote Deana Edwards, who was one of several LGBTQ+ community members and allies in attendance. "It broke my heart that they would not allow him the respect to be himself. But we [were] there to support Jonas and celebrate him and his authentic self, and that's exactly what we did. His speech was moving, deep and inspiring." 97K views · 793 reactions | @highlight Diberville High inclusiveness #cheers #transgender #mississippi #Salutatorian #Awesome D'Iberville High School | Bri Lee www.facebook.com As The Advocate reported, D’Iberville High School congratulated Hole on Facebook last week with a photo captioned, “Pride. Tradition. Excellence. Congratulations to our DHS Salutatorian,” before identifying him by his deadname. To add insult to injury, those commenting on the photo alleged the school edited Hole’s senior portrait before posting it online. “They photoshopped his mustache off to make him look more ‘feminine,’” commenter Micheala Bo