Some big names have shown up in the comments section of a recent Facebook post from photographer Brandon Stanton’s popular Humans of New York feed.
If you aren’t familiar with the page, the name pretty much says it all. 13 million subscribers agree it’s some of the best people watching you never have to leave home for.
But this particular post was rather heartbreaking — a young boy looks down with deep concern, accompanied by the quote, “I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.”
Here’s how it looked on Facebook:
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.
“I’m homosexual and I’m afraid about what my future will be and that people won’t like me.”
Posted by Humans of New York on Friday, July 3, 2015
The picture received over 600k likes and nearly 60k shares and comments, including from Hillary Clinton, Ellen Degeneres and George Takei.
Here’s what Hills had to say:
Ellen had some similar encouragement:
We’d like to add: you will meet so many different kinds of people out there. Find out what you love about them and hang on to the ones who show you the same respect and compassion. As our friend Hillary said, there will be lots of them.
Adolfo Iza
Ellen should have more likes…Ellen is queen
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Hey Kid, You are who you are. Embrace your who you are and don’t let the VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE of small minded persons who spew bigotry and hatred upon Gays get you down. You can have a wonderful, joyful life. You believe it or not have an advantage over many other Gay kids. You already accept who you are, and don’t have to hide it or pretend you are someone you are not.
Contact the Trevor Project for support or see if there are any Gay Community centers where you live. Most of them have groups of young Gay kids like you who meet on a regular basis. My friend and I joined a youth group at a local center and kids that we met there are now great friends years later……
If you embrace who you are, you are about to engage in a wonderful journey through life as a happy, well adjusted Gay person.
Ogre Magi
Rush Limbaugh is already talking shit about that poor kid
http://mediamatters.org/video/2015/07/06/rush-limbaugh-photo-of-gay-youth-whose-story-we/204262
Realitycheck
This is wonderful, we all needed people in our childhood to help us in our
“gay” struggle, I hope the kids gets all the help I didn’t, kudos to Ellen and Clinton !!
Giancarlo85
Just wait until all the gay republicans like Bob McBlah and BJ show up taking shots at Hillary. Just wait…
Anyways, that was great from Ellen and Hillary… they reached out and told him to stay strong.
SonOfKings
Little cry baby better man up and get ready to fight. He gonna have to fight all his life.
RobvR
It were very nice words from Hillary but not realistic. You can’t promise an amazing life to someone. As gay you’re life isn’t easier than any other’s. Being accepted means you will have to face just as many problems as a straight person (maybe more because of prejudice which is inevitable). But I do understand that this boy needed support and kind words, so kuddos Hillary and Ellen.
Louis
The tides are changing darling boy the most important thing to remember is to love and accept yourself if others cant then some minds and hearts will evolve with time others may not.
No matter what love the beautiful light that you are and stay strong you are the future sweet boy never forget that.
Louis
@SonOfKings: Its comments like yours that are no different then how LGBT kids are treated on a daily basis in this country…still in schools nationwide.
The kind of comment you just made are the kind of comments that are the catalyst to these young bright minds thinking that suicide is their only option .
If their own community mocks the pain and suffering they experience how is this little boy to expect to feel valued and loved by those who also show intolerance who are straight in this world?
Grow up this MAN UP attitude is pathetic and it never serves anyone well it only solidifies that many within this community are insensitive and callous and feel that they are the authority to tell those who suffer endlessly and are bullied that THEY ARE THE WEAK ONES and they are the problem.
Smh how inane.
SonOfKings
@Louis: Helicopter mommies won’t be able to defend him all through school and life. Boy gonna have to learn to stand up for himself and fight. They need to put him in a self defense class to build his confidence, and later, train with weights. The world is a ghetto and he needs to be able to walk these mean streets alone, if necessary.
AndYouWillDeal
I would tell the kid to toughen up and cut the crap, weakness is the opposite of a virtue and shouldn’t be celebrated, victim mentality is the worst, and we should all try to be strong and push forward, not curl up into a ball and fish for others to come comfort us.
unclemike
@AndYouWillDeal: The kid is fucking 11 YEARS OLD. Cut him some slack. I think by being honest about who he is and how he feels he’s already stronger than you ever were or ever will be.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@AndYouWillDeal:
@SonOfKings:
You are both pathetic, abhorrent, noxious trolling smcubags……………….
AndYouWillDeal
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: You are a pathetic weakling
AndYouWillDeal
@unclemike: I, at 8 years of age, fought my way out of a child prostitution ring in Brazil. I have no sympathy for weaklings.
SonOfKings
They are doing this boy no favors by lying to him. The truth is, if he comes into his teenage years as an out gay youth, the world will come down hard against him. He will have the fight of his life. His bed is already being made hard for him and ONLY the strong will survive.
Giancarlo85
@SonOfKings: You’re a fucking tool. Use your brain for once. Many of us have been through shit in high school. So have I. But the way you talk shows how much of a pompous shit you are. It wouldn’t surprise me if you were closeted your entire high school years and didn’t come out until you were in college. And only the “strong will survive”? Take your stupid discredited social darwinism crap somewhere else.
Giancarlo85
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: You can’t help two nasty obnoxious shitheads that were probably closeted until their mid to late 20s. They talk a lot of bravery and shit… but I doubt they have one ounce of courage in themselves.
SonOfKings
His problem is not being gay, it’s being too soft. If he’s still a whimpering titty baby by High School those big dude will brutalize him. He should have BEEN in a boxing class by now. He’s got hands. He just needs to learn how to use them. Mark my words: There WILL be beef in this boy’s life. And he better be able to handle it. I hope he doesn’t have to learn this the hard way.