+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
More

This brave cheerleader just came out to her school in the most magical way.

My high school didn't have a sports team, but if there's one thing that movies and TV have taught me it's that there's nothing more nerve-wracking than the first pep rally of the season.

Friendships are formed, hearts are broken and mended, and everyone's life is somehow changed (hopefully for the better).

For Kaija Blumer, that assembly truly was life-changing. Because she came out as a member of the LGBT+ community to her entire school.

And it was spectacular.

The high school senior — who now joins the ranks of such heroes as the young woman who came out with a viral yearbook quote —  surprised everyone by unfurling a giant rainbow flag when she was introduced as the school's cheer captain.

And, of course, every second was caught on video — from Blumer's nervous rocking back and forth as she waited to let everyone in, to the joyous expression on her face as her classmates erupted with genuine love, acceptance, and at least one celebratory "oh my god" that most of us spend our lives waiting for.

You ready for this? Because. It. Is. Magic.

Blumer's tweet immediately went viral.

If you've been on twitter in 2018, you know how toxic the platform can get. But, just like her classmates, social media erupted with congratulations for Blumer, with users lauding her bravery and sharing their own thoughts on coming out.

One of Blumer's classmates even commemorated the moment with some incredible art:

Blumer's bravery and message are more important than ever right now.

While the LGBT+ community has been making greate strides towards equality, there's still a lot of work to be done.

And it's people like Blumer who are leading the way towards towards more acceptance and understanding.

I know it's a lot to hang on just one person, but here's hoping that Blumer's act of courage will inspire even more teens to feel safe about coming out.

None of us should ever have to hide who we are.

From Your Site Articles
Community

How to end hunger, according to the people who face it daily

Here’s what people facing food insecurity want you to know about solving the hunger problem in America

True

Even though America is the world’s wealthiest nation, about 1 in 6 of our neighbors turned to food banks and community programs in order to feed themselves and their families last year. Think about it: More than 9 million children faced hunger in 2021 (1 in 8 children).

In order to solve a problem, we must first understand it. Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, released its second annual Elevating Voices: Insights Report and turned to the experts—people experiencing hunger—to find out how this issue can be solved once and for all.

Here are the four most important things people facing hunger want you to know.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pets

Family brings home the wrong dog from daycare until their cats saved the day

A quick trip to the vet confirmed the cats' and family's suspicions.

Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul|YouTube

Family accidentally brings wrong dog home but their cats knew

It's not a secret that nearly all golden retrievers are identical. Honestly, magic has to be involved for owners to know which one belongs to them when more than one golden retriever is around. Seriously, how do they all seem have the same face? It's like someone fell asleep on the copy machine when they were being created.

Outside of collars, harnesses and bandanas, immediately identifying the dog that belongs to you has to be a secret skill because at first glance, their personalities are also super similar. That's why it's not surprising when one family dropped off their sweet golden pooch at daycare and to be groomed, they didn't notice the daycare sent out the wrong dog.

See, not even their human parents can tell them apart because when the swapped dog got home, nothing seemed odd to the owners at first. She was freshly groomed so any small differences were quickly brushed off. But this accidental doppelgänger wasn't fooling her feline siblings.

Keep ReadingShow less
switched at dog daycare
Education

People are sharing the one 'simple rule that would fix the world if people actually followed it'

Here are 17 rules that would make life better for everyone.

via Pexels

A teacher lists his class rules.

The world would be a much better place if humans weren’t so … human. We all fall short of perfection. Common sense is, sadly, not too common. And there’s one guy out there who always manages to screw things up when things start getting good.

Call it Murphy’s law. Call it the great “reason we can’t have nice things.” Call it entropy. It feels like a whole lot of pain could be avoided if we all had just a little bit more sense.

But what if there was one rule that we all agreed to follow to make everyone’s life better? What would this magical rule be?

A Reddit user who goes by the name P4insplatter came to this realization and asked the AskReddit subforum, “What simple rule would fix the world if everyone actually followed it?” They received dozens of simple rules that if everyone got behind would make the world drastically better.

Keep ReadingShow less
wisdom
Pop Culture

Thousands of concertgoers in Poland randomly decided to sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and it was flawless

The music of Queen is a universal language.

Sandra Maria/Youtube, Official Lives & Music Videos/Youtube

You can't not sing this song.

The music of Queen has a profound visceral effect on everyone. Few pieces of art can cause complete strangers to put aside their differences and come together in song, but by golly, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of them. It would be cheesy if it weren’t so absolutely beautiful.

This pertains even to non-English-speaking countries, it appears. Recently, thousands of Harry Styles concertgoers in Warsaw, Poland, began cheering as those iconic beginning piano notes penetrated the air.
Keep ReadingShow less
celebrity
Pop Culture

Roger Ebert's righteous rant on Asian filmmakers’ self-expression is a poetic time capsule

"They do not have to 'represent' their people!"

via ianmalcm/YouTube

Movie critic Roger Ebert speaking his mind at the Sundance Film Festival.

It’s been ten years since the world lost Roger Ebert to cancer, and his voice is sorely missed. Ebert had a pure love of cinema, and even though he was a film critic in a sweater with a Pulitzer Prize, he wrote and spoke in a way accessible to every man.

He didn’t care if a film was a Hollywood blockbuster or art-house fare; what mattered was whether it deserved his highly-coveted “thumbs up.”

Ebert was an extremely gifted communicator whose interests went far beyond film. In his later years, he often mused about music, politics, and American cultural events with the same eloquence, thoughtfulness and wit.

Keep ReadingShow less
movies
Pop Culture

The 'Last Gen X playground' has been found, and people can't contain their nostalgia

Dangerous? Sure. Super fun? Absolutely.

@over40slbmom/TikTok

Feeling nostalgic yet?

It seems like so many iterations of unfettered joy from our childhood haven’t made it to the modern age, and playgrounds are no exception.

Gone are the days of metal slides that scorched the derriere in the summertime, seesaws that doubled as human catapults and the notorious merry-go-rounds that separated the weak from the strong. Good old fashioned character building—safety be damned!

As it turns out, a few of these old relics are still standing. And footage of kids playing at one of these bygone parks is filling adults—particularly Gen Xers—with sweet nostalgia.
Keep ReadingShow less
nostalgia
Family

Dad shares the moment he realized he couldn't raise his daughter in the United States

Here's why the family is moving to Spain.

via LunaGoestoSpain/TikTok and Stephen Downes/Flickr

A couple shares why they decided to leave the United States.

Although it is difficult to tell if there is a trend of Americans moving out of the country, rough estimates show that around 8 million currently live in other countries—double the 4.1 million living abroad in 1999.

The most popular countries for Americans to move to are Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom, in that order.

A big reason why some are leaving the U.S. is that an increasing number of employers allow people to work abroad. Others are choosing to leave because of cost of living increases and “golden visa” programs. Golden visas offer the chance to get a foreign residency permit by purchasing a house or making a significant investment or donation.

Keep ReadingShow less
americans
Trending Stories