One. Step. Forward. As Buzzfeed recounted in a recent story, ABC producer Michel Del Moro was walking the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey with his boyfriend, mom, and sister over the weekend when he spotted high school prom attendees walking home from the high school dance.
As he documented on Twitter, while walking, a group of "rowdy "bros" started yelling at every couple who passed beneath the rooftop bar they were at, obnoxiously yelling "KISS HER!" in every apparent couple that passed by.
\u201cLast night, while out for Mother\u2019s Day with our families (read: getting some late-night ice cream because treat yourself!) we noticed a group of rowdy bros gathered on a rooftop bar obnoxiously yelling \u201cKISS HER!\u201d in unison at every apparent couple that passed by.\u201d— Michael Del Moro (@Michael Del Moro) 1526142620
\u201cIt\u2019s prom season here, so at that time of night you\u2019ll see high schoolers in their formal attire. As we walked by the rooftop bros, an adorable teenage gay couple passed us in perfectly fitting midnight bue tuxes, matching pink ties, holding hands.\u201d— Michael Del Moro (@Michael Del Moro) 1526142620
When a gay couple passed by, while Del Moro was "worried something might happen," the bros in question quickly switched from saying "KISS HER" to "KISS HIM." Well, the two young men kissed, and the rooftop crew apparently starting cheering, In a Tweet, Del Moro said, "Both the rooftop crew and everyone else on the boardwalk just went absolutely wild for them and we all breathed a sigh of relief."
\u201cAfter some hesitation, the young men kissed... and let me tell you: both the rooftop crew and everyone else on the boardwalk just went absolutely wild for them and we all breathed a sigh of relief.\u201d— Michael Del Moro (@Michael Del Moro) 1526142620
While this is a great step forward, homophobia and discrimination exists everywhere.
\u201cThis is not a \u201clook everything\u2019s fine now, thread,\u201d and yes... it\u2019s New Jersey, but I just thought it was worth sharing and an encouraging moment for young LGBTQ folks out there.\u201d— Michael Del Moro (@Michael Del Moro) 1526142620
In the Buzzfeed interview, one of the boys said: It's south Jersey, Guys pick on us for being gay, explained Theodore Vidal, a junior at Lacey High School.
That said, after this moment, Vidal's boyfriend Colin Beyers said, "It's an area where you normally would get discriminated against and the fact that those guys cheered us on was shocking. It's one of those small victories that makes the hard times worth it. "
Take a look at this sweet Instagram series of the men on prom night.
Check out more on Buzzfeed.
