Jacob Rudolph, a high school senior from in Parsippany, N.J., stood before 300 classmates on Friday night during his senior class awards ceremony to accept the honor of Class Actor.
But Jacob’s acceptance speech revealed that his acting went deeper than a few school plays.
“I’ve been acting every single day of my life. You see, I’ve been acting as someone I’m not,” announced Jacob.
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“Most of you see me every day. You see me acting the part of ‘straight’ Jacob, when I am in fact LGBT. Unlike millions of other LGBT teens who have had to act every day to avoid verbal harassment and physical violence, I’m not going to do it anymore. It’s time to end the hate in our society and accept the people for who they are regardless of their sex, race, orientation, or whatever else may be holding back love and friendship.”
As you’ll see in the video, Jacob’s coming out was met with a standing ovation. Watch:
P.S. This video was posted to You Tube by Jonathan Rudolph, an obviously proud and supportive father.
