It's a wonderful article! Thank you for posting it.

I just shared it with my wife, and we were discussing it a bit. While I was lamenting the state of things, that people could be so abusive in the vicinity of San Francisco, no less, my wife had a different view. She said that he sounds like he's got a strong personality and lots of self-confidence, which she thought were the key things which will be invaluable for his success and happiness.

My wife grew up in city famous for being an intolerant cultural backwater. Yet, in her school was a boy who was "flamingly gay," in her words, but utterly self-confident and outgoing, and seemingly had no trouble surviving there. In fact, he had attracted a small clique of friends attracted to his outgoing personality, his energy level and weren't afraid to hang out with him. None of them seemed to be gay, or at least in that "flaming" way. So, she thinks that as long as the lad keeps his self-assuredness, it will give him a better chance of acceptance and minor criticisms will just roll off his back. After all, certainly he senses the disapproval of some of the adults and larger kids around him, and he's completely unmoved by it.

So, good for him, and to morph his mother's words with those of Capt. Picard, Thus may it be so for a long time.