The video of a high school graduate coming out as bisexual during his valedictorian speech has us floored.
When 17-year-old Mason Bleu walked up to address his school, the NYC students and family didn’t know what was about to hit them. While the speech first addressed the mystery of life after high school, the end of the speech became more personal and specific to Bleu’s experience.
“I want to end this speech by saying the only way we can make change is by being educated. I want to remind all of you to always be proud and to always remain humble. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, be proud of who you are. Continue seeking knowledge and most importantly find ways to educate yourself.”
“I’ve struggled to be proud of something all my life, and since I’m preaching about being proud today, it’d be hypocritical of me to continue hiding. Not some people like getting emotional so saying is is extremely personal and hard.”
“For a long time, I’ve 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.”
https://twitter.com/maasonbleu/status/1145685851302764544
The auditorium then erupted in applause for Bleu and the teen was even embraced with a hug from one of the administrators standing onstage. He then added:
“I’ve struggled with being proud of myself for a long time because I was afraid that no one else would be proud of me and for me.”
“But an important thing about being proud is that you should always be proud of yourself before you want anyone to be proud of you.”
The teen then concluded by thanking the audience for coming and reminding them that the most important things in our lives are our brains and our education.
https://twitter.com/maasonbleu/status/1144985203716345862
But that isn’t where the conversation ended. The teen then spoke about the moment in a Twitter thread. He shared this his main message was to be proud of yourself and to educate yourself.
“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.”
Mason then offered his support if anyone needed to reach out for aid or an open ear.
“If anyone wants to talk to me about anything my DMs are open. I know what it feels like to be closeted and think that no one else is like you but trust me you’re not alone. I played basketball, baseball, football, and am pretty masc + black. I felt like a total outcast.”
https://twitter.com/maasonbleu/status/1144986110663241729
https://twitter.com/maasonbleu/status/1144986371683180577
Thank you to Mason Bleu for simply being you and being proud while doing it.
