A Gay Teen Asked His Straight BFF to Homecoming With “A Thousand Years” Playing, so Obviously I’m Bawling

On Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, 17-year-old Alexander Duarte executed a homecoming proposal he'd been planning for weeks, and it's going viral for the best reason. Alexander's best friend and captain of the school's football team, Erick Pineda, joked that he and Alexander should go to homecoming together; but Alexander, who's gay, took it seriously and decided to "propose" to his straight friend. With the help of peers, school staff, and Christina Perri's ever-emotional song, "A Thousand Years," Alexander set up a proposal Erick couldn't say no to.

Students and faculty lined a path outside the school, and at the end, Alexander was waiting behind a huge sign that read, "I know I'm gay, but can I take you straight to homecoming?" Once Erick saw his friend come out from behind the poster, they immediately hugged, Alexander popped the question, and Erick said yes to the sounds of cheers.

"It's very important for me to be going to Homecoming with Alexander because I'm setting an example for not only my school, but also my community," Erick told Instinct. "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."

Alexander, who has never had a date to a dance, added: "For me it was also about setting an example for others on how to go all out on their proposals and, more importantly, that it is OK for a brown boy to ask another dude."

Watch the proposal above, and just try not to tear up at the beautiful moment.