(AP) — A state champion speech student will be allowed to perform a poem about gender identity for television after originally being asked not to by a statewide schools organization.

Michael Barth, a senior at Gordon-Rushville High School, was asked to change the content of a performance to be recorded for Nebraska Educational Television.

Barth won the Class C-1 poetry division with poems that combined lyrics from hip-hop artist Macklemore’s “Same Love” and a slam poem called “Swing Set” by Andrea Gibson.

Earlier, Rhonda Blanford-Green, executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, said she doesn’t want the showcase to promote personal agendas.

Later, she said the intent of her decision was not to stifle freedom of speech, but to avoid any negative connotations for individuals involved in the production.