High school student gets standing ovation after coming out as bisexual in powerful speech

3rd July 2019

Twitter @maasonbleu

This should restore at least some of your faith in humanity.

High school student Mason Bleu has won praise around the world after a video of his emotional valedictorian speech, in which he came out to family and friends as bisexual, went viral on Twitter, receiving almost one million views.

“I want to remind all of you to always be proud but to always remain humble. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, be proud of who you are. Continue seeking knowledge and most importantly find ways to educate yourself,” he said.

“I’ve struggled to be proud of something all my life, and since I’m preaching about being proud today, it’d be hypocritical of me to continue hiding. I’m not someone who likes getting emotional, so saying is is extremely personal and hard.

“For a long time, I’ve struggled with my sexuality. I’ve dodged it and ignored it because I wasn’t proud of who I am. But today I’m changing that. I’m proud to be a bisexual man.”

So I came out during my valedictorian speech. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done but the reaction was amazing. Thank you to everyone who supported me! #Pride2019 #LGBTQ pic.twitter.com/u8ih03NTJd

— mason 🇩🇴 (@masonbleu) June 29, 2019

After making the announcement, the audience erupted into cheers, getting on their feet and clapping for him.

“I’ve struggled with being proud of myself for a long time because I was afraid that no one else would be proud of me and for me,” he continued.

“But an important thing about being proud is that you should always be proud of yourself before you want anyone to be proud of you. On that note, I want to thank everyone for coming out today because I just came out so thank you for coming out.

“Thank you, family, friends, teachers and graduates. On a final note, I want to remind you all that the one thing no one can take from you is what’s in here. Your futures are all so bright. Thank you so much and happy Pride.”

The speech, which Mason says was the “scariest thing” he’s ever done, happened towards the end of Pride Month.

“This was so amazing to watch and hear. Thanks for allowing us to witness and I welcome you to the community with open arms,” wrote one Twitter user, while British singer-songwriter MNEK sent him love heart emojis in a reply.