This video was quite refreshing after I had just watched the Anderson Cooper multi-part report on how ex-gay therapy ruined someone's life.

Not I am saying Anderson's very professionally done journalism was bad (it is wonderfully executed), but I felt this innocuous, shy boy made a more positive impact in the direction of convincing there is nothing wrong being gay.

The boy is so cute in a nerdy sort of way.

He wasn't even trying to make a crusade. He just wanted to deliver a proper valedictorian speech; it just so happened he was also announcing he is gay. The entire speech was light-hearted, slightly cliche in a way that rekindled my memory of what it was like being a high school nerd.

From the very beginning, you know he was just a normal boy, perhaps with an obscenely high GPA, but still.... Anyways, I almost felt if I were to live my life again in high school, I wanted to be him. So funny, smart, artless, and humble.

It's a shame he made a few political references, so I could only share this in my blog instead of sharing it in other places, but I am not complaining. The video needs more air time!

When he read that "love letter" to a girl he didn't truly love (totally understandable, as that's part of our "try to fit in" stage), and revealed he was gay, that truly impressed me. When Ashi was that age, he would never be that witty and funny enough to turn an awkward moment to something memorable and diplomatic. Ashi instead, probably hurt a girl's heart by not responding.

It was a very gracefully executed coming out. No drama, no political agenda. Just a boy being honest of himself. It's a shame the school didn't let him deliver the speech during graduation. I am so happy young people can live at their full potential nowadays.