Video: Brave Teen Comes Out to Entire School

Coming out of the closet takes guts no matter which way you swing it, but a high school senior from Parsippany, N.J. recently threw caution to the wind when he stood on stage in front of his entire school and announced he was an LGBT teen. Jacob Rudolph was given an award for Best Class Actor when he approached the podium to make his acceptance speech, saying, “I’ve been acting every single day of my life. … Acting as someone I’m not.” He continues:

You see me acting the part of ‘straight’ Jacob, when I am in fact LGBT. … Unlike millions of other LGBT teens who have had to act every day to avoid verbal harassment and physical violence, I’m not going to do it anymore. It’s time to end the hate in our society and accept the people for who they are regardless of their sex, race, orientation, or whatever else may be holding back love and friendship. So take me leave me or move me out of the way. Because I am what I am, and that’s how I’m going to act from now on.

Talk about inspiring. And to make the situation even more fantastic, the video above was recorded and passed around to LGBT websites by Rudolph’s proud father. Awwwwwww!