You ready for an amazing prom story? Boy, oh, boy, have I got you covered. I'm about to share with you a story that has it all. I mean, this story has got hope, heartwarming camaraderie, and, of course, pure unadulterated love. A gay teen couple in Seaside Heights, New Jersey was heading home from their very first prom together when a potentially discriminatory situation turned into something surprisingly supportive and sweet. You see, after prom, Theodore Vidal and Colin Beyers got the cutest reaction from strangers when they locked lips in front of the crowd.
If you're wondering why this is a big deal, let me give you some backstory on the social landscape in Seaside, New Jersey, per the boys. "It's South Jersey. Guys pick on us for being gay a lot," explained 17-year-old Vidal to BuzzFeed News, a junior at Lacey High School. "It's an area where you normally would get picked on and discriminated against." But on this one fateful night, Vidal and his boyfriend, Beyers, got a vote of confidence from an unlikely group of people.
Luckily for us, Good Morning America producer Michael Del Moro was a bystander and magnificently captured the entire exchange on Twitter where it has since gone viral. Read along and rejoice in this beautiful story.
Of course, this doesn't mark a total end to the homophobia in the area, but it's a beacon of hope.
Adorable. Absolutely adorable.
"Personally, where I live is much more open and accepting than where Teddy lives," Beyers added to Elite Daily. "I don't usually experience discrimination like he has, but when we were approaching that group of guys I was definitely nervous and fearful that something bad could happen. I was definitely relieved when our kiss was met with cheers because I knew it meant that New Jersey is getting better and Seaside is getting better and it gave me hope."
Vidal, on the other hand, attributes his strength to live his life openly in his town to the support of his boyfriend. "My life has changed because of him," Vidal told BuzzFeed News. "He pushes my depressed thoughts away. He's always there and he makes everything better. He helps me live life to my fullest and that's what I am doing right now."
"It always gets better; that's what I tell myself when it's hard," Beyers added to BuzzFeed News. "For those that are getting bulled or in a dark place and feel like it won't stop or end, it does. Those people go away and you meet better people who love you for who you are. When I feel like I'm discriminated against I tell myself that it will get better and it does."
BuzzFeed News was ultimately able to get ahold of the bachelor at the bachelor party (Del Moro wound up knowing one of the guys at the party, small world!) and he said it "was awesome to see a moment that was experienced by so many people."
In fact, he explained that he could relate to the fear Vidal and Beyers may have felt in the moment leading up to the kiss. "I have entered situations before where I know I might get harassed or made fun of and it is a very uncomfortable feeling, so I am thrilled that they found happiness in this moment," he continued to BuzzFeed News. "I wish them all the best in the future and encourage them to never stop being themselves and to ignore those that seek to not allow that."
Let's all use this story as our very own inspiration to treat everyone with warmth and kindness, no matter what their sexual orientation.
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