A viral video of a gay teen being accepted by his catholic school is warming our hearts.
SBS News has shared the video of a young man coming out to more than 1,500 peers and students at one of the most elite Catholic schools in Sydney, Australia.
After standing behind the podium at St. Ignatius’ College, senior Finn Stannard remarked, “I have been working towards this speech for four years.”
The reason? Stannard says it’s because he’s gay.
Stannard revealed his sexuality to his school in order to share the struggles he has experienced within it's walls. Specifically, he says he had to deal with anti-gay jokes and rumors in the school’s hallways. He also shares how that experience affected his home life and encouraged a disability to be open with his family.
“When I said it, I just felt this energy pass through me and I felt – that was the first time I’d really been proud of who I was. I could announce it to all these people who were before me…Life was easier living as the straight eldest son. I had spent so long behind the façade of a confident, heterosexual man that I wasn’t sure if I knew how to be me. I think that’s really the biggest reason I made sure I got up onto that stage and gave the speech. I don’t think anybody should have to go through the feeling of loss that I felt like I’d gone through.”
Part of the reason Stannard came out was because he couldn’t bare any more time “hiding behind a mask.”
The other part was because he knew there had to be other LGBTQ students at his school. In fact, he shared with SBS News that he was later thanked by other students who were also struggling with their sexualities.
Since then, Stannard has been a role model for the school’s staff and students, and has even taken his boyfriend to the school formal.
If you want to watch his full speech, you can check it out at this link here.
h/t: SBS News
It’s funny because so many
It's funny because so many Catholic leaders will take homophobic stances, yet the majority of the general population of Catholics (in every country around the world) are pro-gay equality (which drives gay activists right up the wall, since they want Catholics to forever be the enemy).