To celebrate Spirit Day, Queerty dug deep into the vaults to find some of our most uplifting and inspiring stories about overcoming bullying. These slice-of-life vignettes find our community smiling in the face of adversity, turning the other cheek, putting bullies in their proper place, and refusing to subscribe to any sort of self-victimizing narrative. Basically, these people kick ass and it’s time to salute them.
Meet Manny Gutierrez, the 25-year-old YouTuber and makeup guru who was just tapped to be the face of Maybelline’s new mascara campaign.
Manny has over 500,000 Twitter followers, 2.2 million YouTube subscribers, and 3.1 million Instagram followers. Of course, no one amasses that kind of social media following without also attracting a few haters along the way.
Earlier this month, internet troll/right wing blogger Matt Walsh tweeted a picture of Gutierrez, along with the caption, “Dads, this is why you need to be there to raise your sons”:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Dads, this is why you need to be there to raise your sons. pic.twitter.com/8ybirgppKi
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 6, 2017
In response to the homophobic tweet attacking his son, Manny’s dad decided to speak up. Since he’s not quite as social media savvy as his son, he sent him a text message than asked Manny to share it on his own platform.
“I know the words you speak are from lack of knowing anybody from the LGBT community,” he wrote. “If you did, you would soon realize they are some of the most real and kind hearted individuals that walk this planet of ours.”
Here’s Manny Sr.’s full message:
My dad is a fucken SAVAGE, I can't with him ?? pic.twitter.com/iWceEmZ6L4
— Manny MUA (@MannyMua733) January 14, 2017
The tweet quickly went viral, receiving more than 60,000 likes and 13,000 shares. And commenters can’t seem to get enough of Manny Sr.:
https://twitter.com/IHeartMannyMUA/status/820405054402199552
Can we have your dad for president?! ??
— Cheryl (@MakeupByCherylH) January 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/AKrazyKorner/status/820409694644641792
“He’s the best,” Manny wrote in response to one fan’s comment. “[I’m] so lucky to have him.”
Kieran
The letter comes across like his son has Down Syndrome or something and is competing in his first Special Olympics.
ramonaharper41
Stay at home mom Kelly Richards from New York after resigning from her full time job managed to average from $6000-$8000 a month from freelancing at home… This is how she done it
……. 21152
???USA~JOB-START
mhoffman953
His son grew up to be a Youtuber who does makeup tutorials…
Danny595
The tweet said “Dads, this is why you need to be there to raise your sons. ” How is that homophobic? It has nothing to do with homosexuality. The vast majority of gay men don’t use makeup like this Manny Gutierrez loser. And some straight men do. So how can it be “homophobic” to criticize the use of makeup? The only way you could construe it as “homophobic” is if you somehow believed that all gay men innately are drawn to makeup. Which is itself a homophobic stereotype.
Clay83
Kieran, mhoffman953, Danny595, is your masculinity so fragile that you have nothing nice to say about someone a little different from you? It is no wonder there are so many problems within the gay community with hateful arseholes like you. If you are so apposed to anything that is not ‘straight identifying gay’ please go to the tea party website and make comments. And before you have anything to say about me, I dont not wear makeup and dont watch his videos, however I am comfortable enought in my own self that I dont need to tear other people down to make myself feel better and quite enjoy that there are different people in the world, because if we were all like you I would have shot myself
Kieran
” I dont need to tear other people down to make myself feel better” Does that include our President?
” (I) quite enjoy that there are different people in the world” Oh really? You “enjoy” the people who voted for Donald Trump?
If you can honestly say yes to both questions, than good for you. You’re not a hypocrite.
Danny595
You have missed the entire point, you fool. Wearing makeup is not inherently linked to being gay and being masculine is not being a “straight identified gay.” All of these associations are in your own, self-loathing, tortured mind. The vast majority of gay and bi men don’t wear makeup and don’t prance around like a womanly clown.
This Gutierrez loser deserves to be mocked regardless of whether he is into men, women or both. We all need to do our part to fight toxic effeminacy.
DCguy
Awwww, how adorable, 3 of anti-lgbt Mo Bros screenames came out to attack this guy and his dad.
What a shock, the troll that hates lgbts yet pretends to be gay does the exact same thing it always does. (Yawn)/
Danny595
I don’t hate LGBTs because there is no such thing as LGBT. We are LGB people. And we LGB people should have standards of conduct for ourselves – standards which do not include prancing around like a painted, effeminate clown.
StupidBoy
Yeah, the comments section is pretty hateful. This guy is so beautiful. His makeup is flawless and the stubble is hot. I went and subscribed to his YouTube channel to support him.
It would be such an honor to be able to have a husband let me do his makeup. It’s like a fancy frame around the Mona Lisa. No matter how fancy the frame is, there is still a work of art inside.
The best sex I ever had was from a black femme guy that sometimes did drag. He wasn’t the biggest I ever had, but he was the best. He was one of only a couple of guys I was able to top and finish, he was so hot. When he topped me, it was so good, I finished prematurely…without trying to be vulgar. Just because a guy wears makeup, he is not necessarily a bottom. Just because a guy has a beard, he is not necessarily a top. One has nothing to do with the other.
This has me pining for a hot top husband with beautiful eye shadow, great lipstick, and maybe matching fingernail polish. Ah, well, maybe when I’m rich and famous.