1. That time Krysta Montoya, an 18-year-old from New Mexico, used THIS Grey’s Anatomy quote to come out in her high school yearbook:
Yep, at that exact timestamp, Erica Hahn uttered this line to Callie:
2. When Christian Bales, a gender-nonconforming student from Kentucky, was banned from speaking at graduation as the class valedictorian...
...so they gave the speech anyway, with a little help from a megaphone just outside the ceremony:
3. When Alexander Duarte from Santa Ana, California, staged a spectacular homecoming proposal for his straight friend Erick Pineda, who is also the captain of the football team:
And they had a fantastic time, obviously:
4. When Josie Totah of NBC’s Champions showed up, showed out, and came out as trans — reminding everyone that authenticity and being yourself comes above everything else:
In an op-ed for Time, 17-year-old Totah said she was ready to publicly live her truth, writing, “My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah.”
5. And when King Princess became the badass you always wish you were, and released this freakin’ anthem:
View this video on YouTube
And pretty much anything else she did in 2018.
6. When this fan somehow got Harry Styles to help her come out to her mother mid-concert:
7. When an Aussie high school student came out as gay to his entire school at an assembly with grace and poise, to a standing ovation:
8. And when 18-year-old Shankar Lal also graduated with a lil’ bit of flair:
9. When this teen made us all cry with this sweet father-daughter Pride moment:
So this weekend my sister is going to her very first pride parade and my dad, who is very conservative, surprised her by buying some things for her to wear (a necklace, bracelet, and shoes). Needless to say, it was a very sweet moment :) #LoveWins
10. And let’s not forget when Hayley Kiyoko helped a couple pull off the ultimate promposal 🎉🏳️🌈
View this video on YouTube
11. Speaking of prom, this teen let a drag queen do his whole look for the big night:
This queer teen had a drag queen create his prom look 👏👑
12. And these two prom-goers received quite the welcoming reception:
Here’s the whole thread, to refresh your memory:
A short thread from here in Seaside Heights, NJ, where—not so long ago—young men would shout the word “f****t” out their car window as we’d stroll along the boardwalk.
13. More than ever this year, all over the country, trans teens made their voices heard and inspired everyone to do the same:
14. And because you can never have too much self-love, especially during a year like this one, here’s to all the young adults who shared self-affirming selfies too:
For all the LGBT teens who stood up for themselves, for others, and for their community this year — we don’t deserve you.
