Category: gay pride

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A High School Student Came out in His Valedictorian Speech and Was Greeted with Wild Applause

It takes a lot of courage to simply get up and speak in front of a large crowd of strangers. It really takes a lot of courage to come out as bisexual in a speech – especially in a valedictorian speech at your high school.

Which is exactly what a young man named Mason Bleu did when speaking at his graduation in New York City. During his speech, Bleu told the audience, for a “long time, I have struggled with my sexuality. I’ve dodged it and ignored it because I wasn’t proud of who I am. But today I’m changing that. I’m proud to be a bisexual man.”

In a Twitter post, Bleu said, “So I came out during my valedictorian speech. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done but the reaction was amazing. Thank you to everyone who supported me!”

The reaction from parents, friends, faculty, and fellow students: a standing ovation. Take a look at the video.

In a follow-up tweet, Bleu said, “The overarching theme of the speech was about being proud (it is pride month) so I decided that I couldn’t tell people to be proud of who they are when I was in hiding for so long. Anyways, I did this not only for me but for anyone else who has struggled being closeted.”

And Bleu followed up his big coming-out party with a trip to the New York City Pride parade.

 

And he offered up a sympathetic ear to anyone who needed to talk.

Good work, Mason! You’ve undoubtedly encouraged many young people to feel comfortable with they are and where they’re headed in the future.

The post A High School Student Came out in His Valedictorian Speech and Was Greeted with Wild Applause appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Family of Four Accidentally Booked Tickets on a ‘Pride Flight’ and Had a Total Blast

If you suddenly find yourself into an unexpected situation, you might as well make the best of it and have a good time, right?

That’s exactly what happened when Kerry and Sean Powell and their two sons recently booked a flight from London to New York City. What the Powells didn’t realize when the booked the flight last September was that it was for Virgin Atlantic’s Pride Flight. The family found out a month after they booked the flight and decided to keep it anyway.

Fast forward to late June and the Powells found themselves on the trans-Atlantic flight hosted by TV star Tituss Burgess and featuring celebrities and drag queens. The flight was also staffed with Virgin Atlantic employees who identify as LGBTQ. And the Powells had a great time!

The kids sure look like they’re having a good time in that video dancing and listening to Lady Gaga. Kerry Powell said, “It was amazing. We knew what it was all about, it wasn’t a surprise. Everyone was so lovely to the kids.”

The flight coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that took place in New York City in late June-early July 1969. The riots are seen as a turning point in the fight for gay rights in the United States.

The flight was such a big hit that Richard Branson announced that Virgin Atlantic will do the Pride Flight next year as well. I have a feeling that this will become an annual event for many years to come. Looks like a blast!

The post A Family of Four Accidentally Booked Tickets on a ‘Pride Flight’ and Had a Total Blast appeared first on UberFacts.

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15 Hilarious Responses to the “Straight Pride” Parade in Boston

That’s right, in case you haven’t heard, some people in Boston planned a “straight pride” parade in response to all the gay pride events taking place in June. It may be pride month, but you know how oppressed straight white men are in this country.

Here are some of the funniest reactions to the planned event.

1. Nailed it

2. Hahahaha

3. Pretty much

4. Nobody wants it

5. Looks like a blast

6. A humiliating defeat

7. Bros…

8. Can you spare some?

9. Boom

10. Sounds awesome

11. This is taking forever…

12. LOL

13. July is the best

14. Beige all day

15. Yes!

Sounds like it’s gonna be a real hoot!

The post 15 Hilarious Responses to the “Straight Pride” Parade in Boston appeared first on UberFacts.

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15 Hilarious Responses to the “Straight Pride” Parade in Boston

That’s right, in case you haven’t heard, some people in Boston planned a “straight pride” parade in response to all the gay pride events taking place in June. It may be pride month, but you know how oppressed straight white men are in this country.

Here are some of the funniest reactions to the planned event.

1. Nailed it

2. Hahahaha

3. Pretty much

4. Nobody wants it

5. Looks like a blast

6. A humiliating defeat

7. Bros…

8. Can you spare some?

9. Boom

10. Sounds awesome

11. This is taking forever…

12. LOL

13. July is the best

14. Beige all day

15. Yes!

Sounds like it’s gonna be a real hoot!

The post 15 Hilarious Responses to the “Straight Pride” Parade in Boston appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Man Offered ‘Free Dad Hugs’ at a Pride Parade and People Loved It

Scott “Howie” Dittman decided to attend the recent Pride Parade in Pittsburgh but didn’t give much thought beyond having a good time that day.

Dittman’s friend Denna was going to the parade with an organization called Free Mom Hugs and Dittman said, “‘well I’m going to go,’ and I hopped on Amazon and grabbed a ‘free dad hugs’ T-shirt. I just thought it would put a smile on people’s faces.”

Just got sent this picture from Sunday ❤ #freedadhugs #freemomhugs #prideparade #dadhugs #momhugs

Posted by Howie Dittman on Tuesday, June 11, 2019

It’s no surprise that many LGBTQ people are ostracized by their families because of their lifestyle. And, as Dittman realized, a hug goes a long way for people whose parents are no longer in their lives through no fault of their own.

He said, “You could tell they hadn’t had something as simple as a hug from their dad in a long time. That broke my heart.”

Dittman hugged a lot of people at the Pride Parade, and he shared this post on Facebook detailing two of his more moving encounters that day.

PARENTS.A handful of us went to the Pittsburgh Pride Parade today, sporting our FREE DAD HUGS and FREE MOM HUGS…

Posted by Howie Dittman on Sunday, June 9, 2019

Dittman’s post went viral and he said he’s received more than 1,500 messages from strangers who were incredibly moved by the story, including some parents. He said, “I’ve had so many parents reach out to me saying they’ve been crying for days, saying they’ve been those parents, and they’ve reached out to their children they haven’t talked to in years. How do even describe that?” he said. “How do you even describe the feeling that gives you?”

Dittman added, “It’s humbling, but it’s sad. It’s sad that these people needed a stupid social media post to have eyes opened and to feel welcomed. It’s sad that some guy in some small town western Pennsylvania is having that much of an impact when that impact should’ve been made and when they shouldn’t have even needed it because they weren’t abandoned in the first place.”

The post A Man Offered ‘Free Dad Hugs’ at a Pride Parade and People Loved It appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Straight “Country Boy” from Oklahoma Decorated His Truck for Pride Month, and It’ll Put a Smile on Your Face

One of the great thing about Pride Month is that we get to hear about moving stories from unlikely people and places. A recent story is a wonderful example of this, and it comes to us from the state of Oklahoma.

Cody Barlow describes himself as a “country boy,” and he has friends and family in the LGBTQ community and doesn’t care who knows it.

Posted by Cody Barlow on Thursday, June 6, 2019

Barlow wanted to show his support for Pride Month, and he did it in a fabulous way – especially considering the fact that he lives in a small town in Oklahoma, which is maybe not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about Gay Pride Month.

Take a look at how Barlow showed his support.

Photo Credit: Facebook, Cody Barlow

Barlow’s Facebook post with that great photo of his truck says:

“Found a way to show my support for pride month.

I simply bought rolls of brightly colored duct tape and ran them across my tailgate in the design of the pride flag, and added some mailbox letters.

This is important to me, not only because I have family and friends that are LGBTQ+, but also because countless people have dealt with hatred and judgement simply for who they are, and/or who they love, for far too long. Obviously doing this isn’t going to change the minds of those who are intolerant, but hopefully it can help drown out the hatred with love.

I live in a rural area in Oklahoma, surrounded by small towns in every direction, and I’m sure this is not a very welcome message around here, but this is going to be displayed on my truck for the entire month of June in support of pride month.

I don’t think it is necessary to say, but for all intents and purposes I am a straight man that grew up here in Oklahoma. I love taking my truck mudding, going fishing, swimming at the lake, floating the river, and several other “country” activities.

It doesn’t matter what negativity I receive for supporting this. I hope that this can help even the slightest bit to encourage and support at least one person that needs it.

I hope everyone finds their inner strength to finally live life loud and proud without regard for the negativity of ignorant people.

Happy pride month!”

People who’ve never met Barlow commented on his post and told him how much it meant to them.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Photo Credit: Facebook

Photo Credit: Facebook

Barlow said there have been some negative comments online, but “it’s worth all of the negativity if it helps even just one person.”

As of this writing, Barlow’s post has been shared over 80,000 times on Facebook. Great work, Cody! We need more people out there like this young man.

The post A Straight “Country Boy” from Oklahoma Decorated His Truck for Pride Month, and It’ll Put a Smile on Your Face appeared first on UberFacts.