GROSSE POINTE, MI -- Former Sen. Rick Santorum is criticizing a local school district for cancelling an April 24 speech he was scheduled to give at Grosse Pointe South High School.

He indicated in a statement Tuesday night that he was rejected because of his stance against gay marriage.

"It's a sad day when liberal educators are allowed to influence young minds - extending free speech rights only to those who share their liberal views," the high-profile Republican said in the statement. "I support traditional marriage. I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. I'm not sure what the administrators in the Grosse Pointe Public School System are afraid of, but these students deserve the respect to form their own opinion on this important issue."

Grosse Pointe school district spokesperson Rebecca Fannon couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

(Update: District officials say the appearance is back on.)

She told Patch.com the event was cancelled after officials asked for a copy of Santorum's speech and did not receive one.

She also said, according to the Patch report, that activities held during the school day should be politically neutral, pointing out that Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 speech at the school, which was protested by about 200 right-wing picketers outside the building, was held after school hours.

Santorum denied that a copy of his speech was ever requested.

"Anyone who has ever seen me speak knows I rarely use prepared text," the former presidential candidate said. "In the case of Grosse Pointe High School - I was never asked for a copy of a speech, nor did I send one. This has nothing to do with the content of a speech, but rather the context of my convictions."

Santorum was invited to speak at the school by the conservative student group Young Americans for Freedom, an affiliate of the national Young America's Foundation, which was also critical of the cancellation.

Young America's Foundation's Vice President Patrick Coyle claimed that district officials in a phone call about the scheduled appearance called Santorum's views on gay marriage "extreme."

"Superintendent (Thomas) Harwood is injecting his own personal views into the situation and subsequently keeping students from hearing from an American public policy leader discuss the importance of being a leader in their school and community," Coyle said in a statement.

The U.S. News and World Report ranks Grosse Pointe South as Michigan's third best high school.

Follow Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527.