Ellen DeGeneres chats with Graeme Taylor, the gay teen who bravely stood up for his high school teacher

There’s nothing better than when Ellen DeGeneres features a brave gay teenager on her show – a kid who decided to take a stand.

She did it earlier this year with Mississippi teen Constance McMillan who fought to take her girlfriend to her high school prom and this week she welcomed Ann Arbor teenager Graeme Taylor who faced his school board and eloquently defended a teacher suspended for a day after he ejected a student from his class for saying he didn’t accept gays.

Just 14 and a freshman at Pioneer High School, Graeme praised the actions of teacher Jay McDowell before the Howell school board saying he’s a teacher who “finally stood up and said something. … I’ve been in classrooms where children have said the worst things. The kinds of things that drove me to a suicide attempt when I was 9 years old.”

On Monday’s show, Graeme told Ellen: “I began to speak and slowly just thought of anyone who has been tormented or had such a hard life, and the rest just came out.”

He also discussed self-acceptance, telling Ellen: “It takes time to get comfortable with yourself.”

“Yeah, I know,” she quipped back.

Ellen also presented him with a $10,000 college scholarship for his actions that was offered by Tonic.com.

Source: AnnArbor.com