High school students Alexander Duarte and Erick Pineda have gone viral for a sweet homecoming proposal in honor of National Coming Out Day.
On Oct. 11, Duarte, a high school senior at Valley High School in Santa Ana, Calif., asked his straight friend Pineda, who is captain of the football team, to be his homecoming date.
The homecoming proposal was captured on video and posted to Instagram. In the video, “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri plays in the background. Pineda makes his way through a crowd of students to meet with Duarte who is standing next to a closet door with the words “Out of the Closet.” Next to the door, is a sign that reads “I know I’m gay but can I take you straight 2 homecoming?”
Pineda agreed.
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Duarte told Instinct that his friendship with Pineda was a process.
“Well, the thing is we weren’t always the best of friends my freshmen year. He apologized for his actions his freshman year,” Duarte says. “It was kind of emotional for me because we have grown so much closer and as people in general. He grew to be more accepting of the LGBT community and has been there for me during the highs and lows. He also said that he loved me and that he will always be there for me if needed.”
The friends attending homecoming together started off as a joke. Pineda told Duarte he should take him to homecoming and Duarte decided to follow through. For Pineda, it’s important to support Duarte.
“I’m setting an example for not only my school, but also my community,” Pineda says. “I was definitely excited to be asked to homecoming because I knew how important this was for my friend and seeing the support from the staff and students was amazing.”
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