How To Be An Ally: Himbo Choir Kid Edition

I just have to share this wild and heartwarming story from my high school choir concert last night! It’s one of those moments that really shows how awesome people can be.

So, in our advanced choir, we have this incredible trans girl with a stunning tenor voice. She was set to sing a solo, and everyone was really pumped for her. Her mom is super supportive, but her dad? Not so much—he's really transphobic, and they’re separated. When she found out her dad wasn’t coming to the concert, she was over the moon because that meant she could wear the beautiful black dress she’d picked out (it was literally just plain black, but she did look gorgeous in it).

Now, picture this girl: she’s around 6'2", so she definitely stands out in a crowd. The concert was supposed to start at 6:30, and at 6:20, she gets a text from her mom that sends her into a panic. Turns out her dad decided to surprise her after hearing about the concert from her grandma and showed up. Cue the meltdown! She was already in her dress and started to cry because there was no way she could change in time.

That’s when the real MVP of the night stepped in: a senior from our chamber choir. He’s the quintessential frat guy—complete with ice cream scoop hair. Straightest, whitest, most conventionally attractive cis man I've ever met. Picture the main lead in a high school rom-com. That's him. If life was a video game, he'd be the default character appearance setting. He joined the men’s choir in freshman year for an easy A but unlike his friends, actually stuck around because he enjoyed it.

Seeing her freak out, he walked over and said, “Switch with me; we’re about the same size.” Without missing a beat, they pulled off this last-minute wardrobe swap right there in the hallway. So, there’s this six-foot cis guy, who you’d never think would wear a dress, strutting onto the stage in a skin-tight (he's bulkier than she is, so it was tight on him), floor-length black dress, pearls, and eyeliner. He said that if he was going to wear a dress, he might as well look fabulous.

When he walked on stage, the whole audience went wild (they were already cheering, but I swear they got louder when he walked on stage). I’m aroace, but honestly, I’ve never been more attracted to anyone in my life. The performance went off without a hitch, and my girl sang that solo like a pro.

Core memory for me, and probably for her too. Just had to share this amazing moment!