Myren, a Maryland high school student who goes by the handle @myrenthapimp on Twitter, tweeted some photos on Saturday of prom night with his boyfriend. In the tweet, which is getting a lot of attention, he explained that after his parents told him he couldn't go to prom with his boyfriend, he went without telling them.
Since being posted, the photos have been retweeted over 13,000 times with many applauding the 17-year-old for his bravery — and for how fantastic the couple looked in their outfits.
For others, the experience of being closeted or dealing with disapproving parents hit close to home.
He also noted that not all the comments he received were positive. "The negative comments were the typical 'this is disgusting' or, if I was your dad I would beat your ass,'" he said.
His parents, who found out he was bisexual after seeing some texts from his boyfriend, have never approved of the relationship. "They wanted me to end things with him and they tried grounding me to keep us from talking, but no matter what we found a way to talk," Myren said.
Even after the negative reaction from his parents, the pair made plans to make prom happen anyway by saving money for suits and event tickets. On the big night, Myren told his parents he was attending a party after school.
The dance just happened to land on the couple's seven-month anniversary. For Myren, the toughest part was not having his parents there to send him off and take photos.
Prom & 7 months with my baby today. #RooseProm2K16
"Everyone's mom was standing there taking pictures of their kids, talking about how beautiful they looked and how they were so proud of them," Myren said. "I imagined what my mom would have looked like taking pictures of me in my suit. Everyone at the send-off was a stranger to me except my boyfriend. None of his family came to his send-off either."
As for the dance itself? For Myren it was all worth the risk. "I was scared of what people might say, but that didn't matter," he said. "I didn't invest so much in prom for people's opinions, I did it to have a great night with my boyfriend."
