Scroll To Top
No More Bullying

WATCH: It Already Got Better for This Colorado Student

WATCH: It Already Got Better for This Colorado Student

Ted-chalfenx400

Ted Chalfen of Boulder says most classmates didn't mind at all that he was gay.

trudestress

While bullying of LGBT teenagers is still all too common, one graduating senior in Colorado has shared his largely positive experience of being out throughout his high school career.

In a video circulating widely on the Internet, Ted Chalfen gives a moving speech to his graduating class at Fairview High School in Boulder. He made the decision to be out beginning in his freshman year, and he feared he would "endure taunting, social ostracization, and even physical abuse," he says. Instead, he found acceptance.

"The response I have received, by and large, has been stunning," he says. "The amount of people who actually seemed happy to hear that I was gay outnumbered those who didn't care, and those who didn't care far outnumbered the small group who reacted negatively."

The ceremony took place last Sunday. Watch the video below.

trudestress

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring, The Advocate's copy chief, has spent much of her journalistic career covering the LGBT movement. When she's not fielding questions about grammar, spelling, and LGBT history, she's sharing movie trivia or classic rock lyrics.
Trudy Ring, The Advocate's copy chief, has spent much of her journalistic career covering the LGBT movement. When she's not fielding questions about grammar, spelling, and LGBT history, she's sharing movie trivia or classic rock lyrics.