Anthony Martinez and Jacob Lescenski at the 2015 HRC Las Vegas Gala

You may remember the Promposal video that went viral earlier this year. The 2 young men involved spoke to the attendees of the HRC Las Vegas Gala.
www.HRC.org

[@DavidHSouthernGent]

Now that goes beyond just friendship. There's a bond between these two guys. A bond that will never be broken. It's a bond of love in a sense of truly caring for another human being, no matter their sexual preference. These two guys just broke the mold of the norm, and i wish them both many many years of happiness in friendship.

[@kellyrose3435]

Chris Flejter It's a shame because Jacob's straight.

[@Chihuahuauno1]

You KNOW Anthony was giving Jacob a bro-job, or most likely many, after that proposal.

[@Michael_in_Vt]

Secure straight men comfortable in their sexuality have NO issues with gay men.

[@Michael_in_Vt]

Annoys you? Just say, "I'm flattered, but I'm straight"....that was easy wasn't it?

[@parrisestatessouthernhomec3246]

@@Michael_in_Vt sometimes that works sometimes that dont.

[@nagytamas2502]

wxavtly, that's the psychological side

[@nagytamas2502]

@Rookielove1 ??????

[@dakshsharma1703]

@Rookielove1 Think same for the girls lol

[@somelezojezile2260]

This is the most straight guy I have ever seen. So much maturity.

[@tOnySi]

you know who deserves a round of applause? Jacobs parents, for raising this man right. This. is. a. product. of. great. parenting.

[@Nikki-sr4kj]

Every gay person deserves a best friend like Jacob ♥ #respect Actually, I would say, everybody deserves a best friend like Jacob who would do anything for his/her best friend :) ♥ And Anthony, you deserved it :)

[@jfrmfrjm]

Ha ha, I was about to write your second paragraph as a response before I got that far! 😄👍

[@theterrarian1972]

The world would be a much better place if everyone was like Jacob and would do anything for their friends

[@aubreyrispoli6971]

Anthony seems like such a great person, I love him without knowing him. Jacob has such a beautiful soul. This brings me so much joy and faith.

[@jamaljackson7477]

This is still the best story I ever Hurd

[@killianmansini4856]

Jamal Jackson me too i love it

[@elizabethcastillo]

+Alexandra Hayman just let jamal post his supportive comment.

[@loneaxolotl]

right, Gurl?

[@danielbudik2694]

Heard*

[@kokobmezgebe9352]

America should always be like this

[@IWillHarvestYourToes]

True!

[@salem8753]

raising kids right, this is the foundation of the society!Jacob's family is the prototype of a good family and should be an example for all of us!!

[@collidingforces9589]

Wonderful guys. I love you both. Very moving and inspiring real story. Thank you for making a difference not just for the gay community but for promoting Tolerance and Welcoming to whom is different.

[@nicemexican87]

I absolutely agree with you Phabian. It was very wonderful !!!

[@afonsords]

people talkin bout how our generation is screwed up...well, we're not so bad are we?

[@IsyahSalam]

afonsords you're right! our ancestors indulged in war😔

[@DarkWillUser]

afonsords, nothing like this would have happened with MY generation, that's for sure. Not even in my dreams. You guys are lucky!

[@395leandro]

We are the best generation!

[@kgbourghs]

No, you guys are awesome. I’m a college professor and I teach your generation. I’m the one who learns from your generation every time I step to the podium. Thank you!

[@SeanQuinn-rf7rq]

It’s all the government. They keep pushing it from an ant hill to a mountain,

[@rebeccaevans1653]

This is the sweetest and nicest thing i have seen. They have a wonderful and healthy friendship. So nice to see this. As a mom I am so proud of the parents for raising such sweet boys.

[@SweetColo]

Me too!

[@rickyledesma1216]

thank you Jacob parents as well .!!

[@donnieraveling188]

it is so powerful beyond belief when LOVE is shown instead of living in fear. The consequences of living in fear kill. BUT living in LOVE is life.

[@LiveTilliDie]

This made me tear up. This was great.

[@dannyfasa2919]

just when I thought the future generation of this world were doomed...this happens. Bloody fantastic! A very heart warming and inspiring story 😃

[@rkay3707]

This is the real ride or die typa friendship...

[@jayiriarte3617]

Rehema Kariuki ‘this is so true

[@aussieday13]

The world would be peaceful if everybody was acceptance in spite of differences...Bravo Jacob❤💘

[@justshaun2011]

This brings tears to my eyes!

[@courtneyconnells4331]

These guys are so underestimating the impact they're having. They don't know the change that they have unknowingly brought to push things towards the future. They probably don't think they'll be remembered in the future/long-term but I think they will.

[@aussieadam9502]

I could not love this story any more if i tried. What an amazing and inspiring young guys they are. All the best for the future ☺

[@bataba6231]

literally crying right now..wish one day the world will understand us you don't have to be one of us the just please accept us if you can't then atleast respect us as we LGBTQA respects you guys...thanks for being an inspiration for so many people worldwide...

[@kpaterson9717]

Yip, their just 2 boys. Simple. They have have a great, honest friendship. It's beautiful. Being loved is all we want and need

[@gavtheripper6575]

His mother was my 7th grade English teacher

[@RNCHFND]

you guys are awesome

[@alexc2499]

I love the two of them so much.

[@mydogsioux]

Imagine a world where everyone was as accepting & understanding as Jacob. I want to live in that world.

[@qualinhunter6439]

Anthony and Jacob need to collab and create a youtube channel together ❤❤❤❤anybody agrees? That would be so amazing

[@kolent5292]

JACOB LESCENSKI YOU ARE THE HERO

[@MrEmilio6969]

Both are hero

[@charlie9901]

Well done Anthony and Jacob, student body and staff at this great school. Everyone has a right to be happy.! WHY is this concept so hard for people to accept.?? great stepping stones, hopefully, for a kinder more accepting society.

[@andrewestes8005]

INCREDIBLE!!!!.... Such wonderful young men

[@ronny8522]

Wonderful and amazing guys. Thank you for being inspiring to the world!

[@Radk187]

You two men have inspired me to do MORE for LGBT rights... Thank you! Your story has been an important inspiration for my three young children as well! I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for my family as well as the world. The BEST part is you have done all of this from your hearts never expecting the experiences you have had from the publicity and the impact it would have on the LGBT community and the World!!! We love you both! Thank you!!!!!!!

[@JeffMende]

those 2 men are super; life is one day at a time being more compassionate to all beings; gay, straight, black, white, asian; pets; earth;

[@GIguy]

SO PROUD OF YOU GUYS!!!!!! I'm gay, but being born in the 60's made what you did impossible without facing disastrous violence, expulsion, and social disgrace. I met my current husband when I was 20....28 years later, we're still together with children of our own, but you would not believe the fight we faced to get what everyone deserves, equal rights. Freddy (my hubby) and I moved to the gay village here in Toronto back in 1989. I lost count at how many protests, marches, sit ins, and rallies we participated in, but after over a decade of fighting against the main stream establishment, we finally won the battle and gain our right to marry, to adopt, and live our lives without fear or harassment. It was a long, very hard fought battle, we witnessed much violence against us along the way, but we did it! (When I say we, it's not just freddy and myself, but dozens of others who joined us in meetings with politicians from every level of government, who finally granted us what we should have had all along. It seems like a life time ago, but watching these brave young men brought it rushing back to the nights when we'd patrol the city streets until 3am, armed with only our intellect, a video camera, and a note pad (this was all pre-internet/smartphone/etc), and most importantly, our liaison to the police. We prevented dozens of gay bashings, that, had we'd not been there, would have resulted in assault, or possibly murder. We'd record all info possible, hand it over to the police, and they'd track down the offenders. We managed to decrease gay bashing from over 300 in 1989 when we first started, down to only 20, in 1991. Word got out that we were patrolling the streets and having people arrested, suddenly these cowardly punks who'd drive by, yelling "FAGGOT", throwing things at us, or getting out of their cars to assault us and drive away, magically stopped. According to police statistics, over 90% of these punks were cowardly mama's boys, who lived in the burbs, and were driving their moms car. Needless to say, we received hundreds of apology letters from furious mothers that had no idea their kids were committing these crimes, using their cars. (FYI, we'd always ensure to get the licence plates, that's how the police found them, or at least, their very angry parents). Our efforts resulted in hundreds of arrests, with charges as simple as harassment, to assault, to attempted murder. Alone, there's not a lot you can do, but together, you can accomplish the impossible. It's something I'm so very proud to have been a part of, so when I see stories like this, my heart melts, and I think to myself "the freedom these young people now have, is due in part to our efforts", and it makes me feel so good, as it does everyone of my generation.now, Toronto has become a gay Mecca, where seeing two people of the same sex, holding hands, or kissing, in public, isn't even an issue anymore, I only wished I'd have been born in this modern era. The LGBT youth of today have no idea of just how lucky they are, most are totally oblivious to the fight we had to endure, just to live our lives openly, I only pray it isn't affected by that brain dead, rich white trash president, who's already de-evolving the civil liberties movement back to the era of slavery.

[@margesplace]

I sorry to tell you but there's a gay boy in my daughter's school and he is not accepted by the other kids. He only talks to the girls at school. Hetro boys don't talk or sit with him. This case of these two boys is extremely rare.

[@hi808cam]

With each new generation, love & acceptance continues to flourish. Thanks to these two students for showing us the way to a better tomorrow. You both are truly inspiring.

[@jennifersincyr8742]

thats so much more than friendship right there this guy who was not exactly a fan now defends his best friend and everyone else these guys deserves so much there so inspirational this inspired me so much who cares if your guy,straight,bisexual or anything thats okay be who YOU are not who EVERYONE else wants you to be just do you and never ever let anyone bring u down

[@kevinkilgore3346]

Jacob is one of my heroes. I wish I had a best friend like him.

[@gnirolnamlerf593]

"You've got to be taught before it's too late, before you are six, or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives hate. You've got to be carefully taught." Thank you, Oscar Hammerstein for those bitingly critical words, which were true 70 years ago when they were written and are still so true. No one is born hating anyone else. Like Jacob's and Anthony's parents, teachers, relatives and older friends, could we all, once and for all, stop teaching hate? Oh, what a world we would live in if human beings directed all the thought and energy now devoted to hating others to being tolerant of them, working together to solve everyone's problems!

[@pwagner0176]

What a great story! This is one of those friendships you know will last a lifetime. Just beautiful.

[@sulemarubio8596]

Where are they now 🤔 true friendship 😍😊❤️👌🏽👍🏽

[@eiondickson5204]

This is so lovely, this is what society should be like and I am just so happy for them and how this has probably impacted the world! Bless you guys!

[@scottmena4653]

This is so great and shows true friendship.

[@ciel222]

GREAT VIDEO

[@travisgrant5608]

Damn! This brought tears to my eyes.The world is changing one step at a time. What a wonderful story.

[@jfrmfrjm]

Their story blows my mind - It is the USA, after all! Way, way, WAY more significant than if they were Swedish or Danish or Dutch. Jacob is such a hero at his age I cannot wrap my head around it.

[@xloppylassx]

Wow just wow no other words need such love and inspiration to everyone out their jist amazing xxxxx

[@gusneaker]

Very brave guys!! Very supporting school and teachers! I'm just too happy about this happened!

[@benw9949]

Tonight, I see this story and a story about a gay couple who went to their prom this past May, near where I went to high school. Neither of these could have happened when I went to my senior prom. But the word boyfriend wouldn't have occurred to me anyway. I could speak up to defend friends, but not myself, and I had not yet accepted myself as gay. So to see these two stories in the same night tells me our world really is changing for the better. We have so far to go before no one raises an eyebrow about someone being gay, where it is just as OK for a gay boy or girl to walk up to someone they like and ask them, as it is for a straight boy or girl to tell someone they really like them, and ask them out.

[@kymberlyp4056]

Ben W ~ You are so right! Why must people be defined as gay or straight. Can't we just accept each other as caring people. Your post was great.

[@Leaf325]

Man, this... ugh. Pure love has no barriers, this friendship is awesome. I love this. 2 great human beings

[@CJ-jr4eo]

Anthony: "Um, I'm a little short." 😂 ME asf lmao

[@torischerle]

I know they are just best friends but I ship their friendship. Not to say if they did actually date then I would ship that too.

[@kpaterson9717]

How awesome are these comments......Amazing

[@qualinhunter6439]

I love them so much. They were on ellen and I have a crush on both of them 💗💚

[@mtham4171]

This is cool But I laughed wen Anthonybwas like "Am a little short" hahaha Jacob, this is when you adjust the mic 😂😂😂

[@ronniecaron6827]

it's been 2 1\2 years, since this happened and I still tear up when I see thease brave and AWESOME and coriougeous young gentelman..situations like Anthony and Jacob, are so inspiring save lives and encourage the LGBT youth community....it can and will get better..

[@MrEmilio6969]

Secure real straight men comfortable in their sexuality should have no issues at all with gay people. Treat them with respect and dignity, that's what really make you a real man.

[@aceofspades3003]

^^THIS^^

[@chrissnyder8108]

I've gone out with my friends who are gay guys as a straight woman, and no one looks twice. Why should it be any different for a straight guy to go out with a gay guy? Both dates are equally platonic, hopefully one day it will be something that is just as accepted. Prom should be about being with your friends and enjoying being young, it shouldn't tie you to your night's date for life.

[@mapledaleguy]

What a best friend. This is awesome.

[@SweetColo]

These 2 will be best friends for the rest of their lives . Guaranteed ❤️❤️❤️

[@davidkm81]

This story still continues to inspire me. Such a sweet moment where they hug at the end of their speech. Just a beautiful example of two guys who clearly care a lot about each other and for them sexuality has nothing to do with it.

[@koyanani]

I'm so obsessed with Jacob's jawline.

[@nextlevelfierce7554]

NANI o yes and the fashion industry would book him right away.

[@desireemo1559]

I love you guys

[@marlene21diaz]

Im crying Jacob the world needs more people with a big heart and open mind like yours

[@BroccoliBeefed]

Why does it bring tears to the eyes?

[@jamisonrhodes1986]

Very Empowering story...Absolutely love you for this Jacob!!! #truefriendtiltheend #equalityrocks #NOH8

[@HollywoodF1]

This makes me cry.

[@freeflamezz]

I think I fell in love with Anthony

[@bobf.5538]

They will be best men at each others weddings one day. Much success in your lives

[@antonettehall5118]

That's so amazing and so heartfelt ❤️

[@augusts1]

I'm not crying, you're crying! ; ) Just so amazing!

[@katinamitchell2868]

The courage,the respect, the friendship..AMAZING!

[@franky4318]

Friendship as any other kind of relationship between humans is based on respect, from both sides. And when you have values, you will appreciate what a good friend means to you. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. You don't find a good friend everyday.

[@daniel_8181]

bravo!!!

[@kyleightolentino4373]

i love those boys

[@jordikeoni]

They speak so eloquently. Nice job. When I was 17, speaking in front of a large audience being filmed, I totally would have clammed up.

[@zoekennedy4724]

I love this story it just shows how powerful friendships really are 😊😊

[@kgbourghs]

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed!

[@stephanietorres6511]

I love it when young men are confident enough in themselves to not give a shit what other people think and just do what they want to do and what they know is right. I hope my son becomes this type of young man. Well done, I love this story!

[@zzzroxyzzz]

and that folks is how you fix the world. when you're secure with yourself you can move mountains.

[@thomasmulroney7391]

I almost cried during this.

[@melylisa6930]

This is what true friendship should be like in this judgemental world we live in..💙💙

[@danmm878]

I couldn't agree more with you, Michael.

[@thineshvaranjeremy6431]

SO SO SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS AFTER 2 YEARS

[@faafafineartist]

Beautiful. Well spoken. They can teach most adults these days to get a life.

[@Luckissme]

such good guys

[@knockshinnoch1950]

These kids are inspirational.

[@arisbeasteahroyal4557]

Omg I so happy

[@Chihuahuauno1]

Even spaghetti is straight, until you heat it up! hahaha

[@devinadebnath6257]

YOU ARE AMAZING GUYS

[@Timsy67]

I had a wonderful time at my 1987 prom but would have love to have asked a guy.

[@candisalmendarez1381]

Beautiful

[@Guppieboi3]

0.38 - I love it when she tells him, "You Just Stepped Up!"--and the other guys step back slowly....Hahaha

[@lionessgaga3899]

You can be an actor straight best freind you will have lots tons of fans all over ghe world, not just coz your hollywood handsome your also internationally very likable

[@rickvacha3158]

Since I graduated high school in 91 , we have made baby steps but each one counts !!

[@moabastari7669]

It's amazing thank you thank you ♥️

[@SprinkleofWilly]

[@tristanjames1329]

So amazing. When I was in high school in rural Oklahoma. I dated the first guy I fell in love with. Back in 2012-2013 I was a freshman. Every other “straight” couple would be kissing and what not. Principle would just say “cut that out” and when we do it we get suspended...... SMH

[@igot7armytaekook308]

Everyone need to be like Jacob. Even if you don’t support the LGBTQ, that doesn’t mean you have to show your hate toward it....Just let it go Anthony help Jacob change for better and anyone would be lucky to have Jacob