Barack Obama celebrates pride month by tweeting an amazing photo of a Sikh man in a special turban.
Obama praised Kohli for making this country 'a little more equal.'

June is National Gay Pride Month in America and to celebrate, Jiwandeep Kohli, a bisexual Sikh American living in San Diego, California, decided to celebrate by posting a photo of himself wearing a rainbow-colored turban.
It was the second time he had posted the photo he took at a Pride parade in 2018.
I'm proud to be a bisexual bearded baking brain scientist. I feel fortunate to be able to express all these aspects of my identity, and will continue to work toward ensuring the same freedom for others. #PrideMonth#PrideTurban #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/SVhc0iwDF0
— Jiwandeep Kohli (@jiwandeepkohli) June 1, 2019
Kohli was surprised it went viral.
This received a lot more attention than I imagined it would! It also makes me feel so much #pride and joy to be a part of such supportive and welcoming communities. See here for my friends, colleagues, mentors, and heroes: https://t.co/TSSH559RBh @GregYoudan
— Jiwandeep Kohli (@jiwandeepkohli) June 2, 2019
Three days later, it went mega-viral after it caught the attention of Barack Obama who praised Kohli for making this country "a little more equal."
You've got a lot to be proud of, Jiwandeep. Thanks for everything you do to make this country a little more equal. Turban looks great, by the way. Happy Pride Month, everybody! https://t.co/SO7mgnOkgl
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 4, 2019
The photo is powerful because it shows a man from a community where bisexuality is a controversial subject, proudly showing off his pride in the LGBT community and his faith. In the Sikh religion turbans represent the idea that all Sikhs are equal in the eyes of God as well as a symbol of dedication to service.
"A turban is a sign to the world that you're a person the world can turn to for help," Kohli told Buzzfeed.
Sikhs believe that their divine role on Earth is to serve the needy, their community, and to meditate.
(Author's note: I once visited a Sikh temple in New Delhi, India and was blown away by the generosity of the Sikh community. Every day Sikhs from all walks of life came together to make over 1300 meals that were donated to hungry people, no questions asked.)
Kohli was inspired by a photo of a man he saw at a pride parade a few years ago. "I was looking at that, and I realized the way I tie mine it had the exact right number of layers to make a rainbow," he told Buzzfeed.
He created it by weaving rainbow colors into one of his black turbans.
Thank you! It's sort of both. One of my normal black turbans that I supplemented with strips of other colors in exactly the right places. Took about an hour of tying, untying, and safety pinning, but totally worth it!
— Jiwandeep Kohli (@jiwandeepkohli) June 1, 2019
This isn't the first time Kohli has caught the public's eye. He was once a semifinalist on "The Great American Baking Show."
"I've been really, really happy to see so much positivity and welcome from so many people," he said about his most recent brush with fame.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.