NYer Of The Week: Gay Teen Educates Classmates About Acceptance

The latest New Yorker of the Week is stepping up and stepping out by helping to educate others about acceptance. NY1's Vivian Lee has the story.
For high school junior Manny Leyva, being a teenager means more than just worrying about grades, pimples, and being cool.

“I didn't want to be noticed because I was gay,” Leyva says. “I was afraid to raise my hand and speak to the class.”

But last year, Leyva worked up the courage to tell his friends and family. And teachers say he became the only openly gay male at Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies, which has 700 students.

“When I walk around the school hallways and within the street, I don't have to give an image, but I want to give an image to everyone that I am gay, I am a teenager, I am different, and I want to teach them that,” he says. Read more.