HOWLAND — A high school senior in Howland says his principal caused him emotional distress by not allowing him to put a reference about being gay into the high school yearbook, according to WCSH.

Zach Sides, who attends the Penobscot Valley High School, says the school’s principal told him the quote he wanted to put in the yearbook was offensive and did not want it to be published, WCSH reported Wednesday.

According to Sides, the quote was: “It’s no wonder I dress so well, I didn’t spend all of my time in the closet for nothing.”

Sides said Principal Carol Marcinkus repeatedly told him she was “personally offended” by the quote and she did not like its “connotation.” He said the principal’s reaction forced him to go through the emotionally taxing experience of coming out to his parents.

“It’s what she said and why it couldn’t go in the yearbook that really troubles me,” Sides said. “I think she meant basically changing my mind about being who I am.”

Marcinkus would not comment and directed comments to the superintendent.

“That did not seem inappropriate to me at all … I thought it was in good humor [and] was in good taste,” Superintendent Michael Wright said. “What this has done is it has made us look at moving forward our policies and procedures and guidelines for determining yearbook quotes, what gets in and what doesn’t.”

Sides said, “I have a lot of support and I have a lot of people who love me and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

“Honestly, I never really wanted to come out. I just wanted to bring home my boyfriend and be like this is who I like and this is who I want to be with and just hope that everyone was okay with it,” WCSH quoted Sides as saying.