Ellen DeGeneres Reaches Out To Tearful Gay Boy On "Humans Of New York"
It was the photo that broke the Internet's heart: A young boy telling Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton that he's on the verge of tears because he's gay.
“I'm homosexual and I'm afraid about what my future will be and that people won't like me,” he related in the caption.
Since the photo was posted on Friday, more than 600,000 people have liked it—and more than 56,000 have left comments.
Among them was Ellen DeGeneres, who used her TV show's official Facebook page to write, “Not only will people like you, they’ll love you. I just heard of you and I love you already.”
Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton weighed in earlier, telling him, "Your future is going to be amazing."
A few uninformed commenters wondered how a boy so young could know he was gay. Others were concerned about him not understanding the consequences of outing himself so publicly.
Most, however, offered support, advice—and lots of virtual hugs.
"You look about 11 or 12," wrote one reader. "I knew I was gay when I was 12, and it freaked me out. I was petrified of my future. But things have a way of working out pretty well when you are simply true to yourself. Stay strong buddy."
Many commenters were straight allies, outraged that any child should have to carry such a burden. Perhaps this man put it best: "Keep your chin up. Many of us heterosexuals will fight for your rights forever."
