Meet Syd Sanders: Maine’s First Openly Trans Valedictorian to Graduate from High School

Syd Sanders who attends Belfast Area High in Maine may be the first openly transgender Valedictorian to graduate from high school in Maine.

BELFAST, Maine — April 30, 2020 — High school senior Syd Sanders talks about his upcoming graduation and how he’ll be valedictorian of Belfast Area High School. (Natalie Williams | BDN)

According to the Bangor Daily News: “Sanders is perched at the top of his 109-senior graduating class this year at Belfast Area High. The Harvard University-bound valedictorian believes he is the first transgender student in Maine — and perhaps the nation — to graduate with that distinction. But for the 18-year-old Sanders, who gets a little embarrassed when he talks about his academic accomplishments, the label of being a transgender valedictorian is secondary to who he is as a person.”

Boston Spirit magazine says, ” A winning combination of intelligence, hard work and inspiring character are surely among the top qualities that brought Belfast, Maine senior Syd Sanders to this moment. Not only has Sanders earned the top spot in his 2020 graduating class, he is likely the first transgender valedictorian in Maine—and quite possibly the first in the country, notes Sanders in a May 4 Bangor Daily News report. For Sanders, it’s all just about being who he is.

“I have a naturally loud, combative personality, so it’s hard to stay hidden for long,” Sanders told Banger Daily News. “There are lots of conservative people at Belfast. But the thing is, I’ve just gained their respect somehow. I feel that even people who disagree with who I am, they still respect me. I don’t know entirely why. But that’s what happened.”