Gay Viral Videos Of 2013: Tom Daley, Steve Grand, Flash Mob Proposals And More

Steve Grand, Tom Daley, Flash Mob Proposals And More In Our Gay Videos Of 2013
This undated image provided by Digital Skylight shows musician Steve Grand, right, and actor Nicholas Alan appearing in this production still from the music video ?All-American Boy.? Grand's self-financed, gay-themed video has been viewed more than a quarter-million times since it was posted on YouTube July 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Digital Skylight, Brendan Leahy)
This undated image provided by Digital Skylight shows musician Steve Grand, right, and actor Nicholas Alan appearing in this production still from the music video ?All-American Boy.? Grand's self-financed, gay-themed video has been viewed more than a quarter-million times since it was posted on YouTube July 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Digital Skylight, Brendan Leahy)

The international relevance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues was confirmed numerous ways in 2013.

These incredible videos -- all of which swept Twitter, Facebook and a number of other social media sites over the past year -- represent the LGBT community's political concerns as well as its often wicked sense of humor. From the poignancy of "All-American Boy," which introduced Chicago-based singer-songwriter Steve Grand to the world as "the first gay country singer," to the internationally-renowned video of a group of youngsters reacting to gay marriage, each of these clips were certainly topical. And let's not forget the barrage of same-sex marriage proposals (set in Central Park, Home Depot and onstage at a Garbage concert), that stunning Bar Mitzvah equality plea and, of course, Tom Daley's surprise revelation.

Take a look at HuffPost Gay Voices' picks for the 15 best gay viral videos this year:

Kids React To Gay Marriage
An incredible video which made the Internet rounds in November asked a group of children, ages 5-13, their opinions about same-sex marriage.The video starts with the kids watching two different viral videos of gay marriage proposals, and then a brief Q&A about their opinions surrounding marriage equality ensues.Read the full story here.
Tom Daley Reveals Relationship With Another Man
British Olympic diver Tom Daley surprised fans in early December when he revealed he's in a relationship with another man in an emotional YouTube video.Although he stopped short of using the terms "gay" or "bisexual," the 19-year-old Daley said, "Come spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe and everything just feels great. And that someone is a guy.”He then added, "It was always in the back of my head that something like that could happen, but it wasn’t until spring this year that something just clicked ... My whole world just changed, right there and then."Read the full story here.
Jewish Teen Offers Pro-Gay Bar Mitzvah Plea
An Oregon teen struck blogosphere gold after video footage of his incredible Bar Mitzvah speech in support of same-sex marriage surfaced.In the clip, Duncan McAlpine Sennett, who reportedly became a Bar Mitzvah at Portland's Congregation Beth Israel, offers his d’var Torah analysis of the Bible chapter in Genesis covering Jacob’s marriage to Leah and Rachel, two sisters who also happened to be his first cousins, observing that "the definition of traditional marriage is nothing like what people think it is today."He then adds, "I am a very, very strong supporter of equal rights and the freedom of men and women to marry whomever they love."Read the full story here.
Steve Grand's "All-American Boy"
Grand, an Illinois native, shot to viral fame as America's "first gay male country star" in July with his first video, "All-American Boy." The sexy clip, which was shot for a bargain-basement $7,000, portrays a young gay man who misreads signals from an apparently straight male pal. Read the full story here.
New Jersey Teen Comes Out As LGBT During School Ceremony
A New Jersey teen took to his school's highest platform in January, announcing he was LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) to his entire graduating class as well as parents and teachers while accepting an award.Jacob Rudolph, a high school senior in Parsippany, N.J., delivered the brave speech after being named Class Actor."Sure, I've been in a few plays and musicals, but more importantly, I've been acting every single day of my life," Rudolph tells the crowd. "You see, I've been acting as someone I'm not...you see me acting the part of straight Jacob, when I am in fact LGBT."Read the full story here.
"Joseph And The Amazing Flash Mob Marriage Proposal"
In what will be sure to go down as one of the most elaborate marriage proposals ever, a gay Canadian actor popped the question to his boyfriend in a very theatrical way.Patrick Stiles, who recently starred in Royal City Musical Productions' staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," organized a grand flashmob with his castmates to the tune of Mika's "Love Today." As his partner Mike Kennedy beamed, Stiles segued into a heartfelt version of Elton John's "Your Song" before dropping to one knee.Video footage of the proposal hit the Internet in December. Read the full story here.
Gay Couple Gets Engaged Onstage At Garbage Concert
It was a rock-and-roll fairytale come true for one Detroit gay man when Garbage's Shirley Manson halted her band's March 30 performance at the Majestic Theater so that his boyfriend could pop the question.Amateur video footage shows Manson bringing the two men, identified on YouTube as Domenick Viviano and Scott Sauter, onstage.Read the full story here.
Margaret Thatcher's "Anti-Gay" Speech From 1987
Video footage of Margaret Thatcher delivering an anti-gay speech in 1987 went viral in the wake of the former British prime minister's death on April 8.In the speech, reportedly given at a Conservative Party Conference on Oct. 9, 1987, Thatcher declares, "Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay."She then concludes, "All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life -- yes, cheated."Read the full story here.
Diana Medley Meets Billy Madison
An interview with an anti-gay, special education teacher in Indiana prompted what just might be the best Billy Madison mash-up ever in February. Playing off the 1995 classic's "everyone is now dumber" moment, the viral video -- posted on social news site Reddit -- features teacher Diana Medley stating her opinion on gay children before being mercilessly torn apart Mr. Oblaski, the principal in "Billy Madison."Read the full story here.
"What Gay Guys Think About Vaginas"
"It's like...umm...this thing...yeah..."That's pretty much how this hilarious video goes when a group of gay guys are asked about their thoughts on the ever-so-foreign female reproductive organ.Read more here.
"My Boyfriend Is Gay"
In February, singer-songwriter Hailey Rowe released a new single, "My Boyfriend Is Gay." In the video for the pop song, the singer-songwriter laments the fact that her boyfriend actually plays for the other team. References to chocolate-tinis and shots of her gay beau curling his eyelashes abound.Read the full story here.
"The Ultimate Anti-Gay Marriage Ad"
We've heard it all before: Gay marriage will ruin the institution and sanctity of marriage, right?So in an effort to "keep straight couples from getting divorced and hating their children," check out this hilarious video from "the coalition of people whose lives are ruined whenever other people are treated equally."Read the full story here.
Home Depot Gay Marriage Proposal
When Dustin accompanied his roommate to Home Depot in Salt Lake City to shop for some new lighting, little did he know he was walking into the marriage proposal of a lifetime.After being redirected to the lumber aisle, Dustin was suddenly ambushed by a flash mob of his friends and family -- some joining the event via laptops and iPads. The group performed to "After a Somebody Loves You" by the pop star Betty Who, with Dustin's suit-clad boyfriend entering towards the end to pop the question.Read the full story here.
Gay Flash Mob Proposal In NYC's Central Park
In a video posted to YouTube and Facebook in May, New Yorker Carl Marucci proposed to his boyfriend, Drew Marsenison, in Central Park with the help of a flash mob to Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years."Marucci wrote on YouTube that on May 11, he asked his mom to take Marsenison to Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. After they arrived, the flash mob broke out. Marucci joined Marsenison during the performance to watch; then, the dancers surrounded the couple and Marucci popped the question.Read the full story here.
Gay Engagement At NYC's Frying Pan
Held at the Frying Pan on Manhattan's West Side, the large-scale flashmob consisted of over 90 dancers from Pace and Marymount colleges. Lance Boyd thought that he and his boyfriend Harry were merely going to a friend's birthday brunch. Little did he know that Harry had been planning a huge flashmob wedding proposal for months.Read the full story here.

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