As Pride celebrations kicked off around the world, high school senior Mason Bleu stood on stage to deliver his valedictorian graduation speech - telling a hall full of his teachers and peers that he's a "proud bisexual man."
“The only way we can make change is by being educated," he says in the speech, which he uploaded to Twitter over the weekend.
"I want to remind all of you to always be proud and 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 added: "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. Not some people like 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.”
In a follow-up tweet, Bleu wrote: "The overarching theme of the speech was about being proud (it is pride month) so I decided that I couldn’t tell people to be proud of who they are when I was in hiding for so long."
He continued: "Anyways, I did this not only for me but for anyone else who has struggled being closeted."
