Who knew salad could be so sweet?
These cookies are simply too beautiful to eat.
These astounding cake creations are mesmerizing to watch come to life.
He added that he "used to think that government having its hands in anything was the worst thing that could ever happen to people," though his opinions shifted when he met the woman who would become the mother of his child.
He said:
"I remember I was so excited to talk to her about politics, 'cause I was like, 'Oh, she's gonna hear everything I have to say, and she's gonna think I'm so smart, she's gonna be so impressed by, like, my knowledge and philosophy, whatever.'"
"And I remember I started talking to her about politics and she was like, 'Holy sh*t, you sound so dumb. You sound like a terrible person, like a bad person, like the things you're saying are the things that a bad and evil person would say.'"
"I was like, 'Oh, huh, interesting,' and I stepped back, and I thought about why I believed the things that I did, and tried to think, 'Yeah, would a kind person believe these things?'"
"Take all my personal, take how much money I want to make someday, take how hard I think I work, take all of that away, just think about kindness and being a good person. And I realized, yeah, the beliefs that I was aligning myself with, the beliefs that I was supporting were terrible."
"The reason I'm sharing this story isn't to inherently sh*t on conservatives and the right. I'll always sh*t on MAGA, but to say it's okay to change. It's okay to grow up and it's okay to hold yourself accountable for being wrong. It's okay to say, 'I saw that in the correct way, I'm sorry, and I'll do better, and I'll commit to grow, I'll commit to keep growing and to keep getting better."
Cloud noted that he was "a libertarian and a Republican in 2020 and now I'm so far from that," adding:
"I just hope this reaches people who currently think it's manly and strong and impressive, who think it's macho and manly to be a conservative and to actively support the oppression of more than half of our country."
"You can change. You can get better. It's strong and cool and macho to give a sh*t about other people."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Cloud's remarks resonated with many.
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Chances are many of you have some conservatives in your lives who need to hear this.
The photo, seen below, showed Hole in his ROTC uniform, but with his mustache having been very clearly blurred off of his face. The school also used Hole's pre-transition name instead of his current one, an anti-trans practice called "deadnaming."
The post read:
“Pride. Tradition. Excellence. Congratulations to our DHS Salutatorian, [deadname] Hole!"
"Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have truly paid off."
"You have set the standard through your perseverance, leadership, and determination, and we could not be more proud of all you have accomplished.”
The post immediately went viral as irate commenters criticized the school and exposed the way they seemed to have altered Hole's appearance.
According to the The Advocate, local Biloxi drag performer and LGBTQ+ rights advocate Tara Shay Montgomery shared a selfie of Hole in his uniform clearly showing his mustache.
She also told the outlet Hole was not the only student targeted by the school over their gender identity.
“Several concerned moms of friends of Jonas reached out to me initially about a total of around 6 students excluded from their senior yearbook due to gender specific dress code policies."
"Then the Jonas post from DHS dropped and one of the same moms shared it with me and my stomach dropped in anger disgust and sadness for him.”
Perhaps contrary to what one would expect from a Mississippi community, the overwhelming response to the post about Hole was anger towards the school for humiliating a literal child.
One commenter wrote:
“Imagining diminishing a child’s accomplishments like this."
Another wrote:
“All of that recognition for his hard work, dedication, commitment to excellence, setting standards, determination, countless hours of effort etc. All of this is just disingenuous when you can’t do the bare minimum and respect JONAS."
A Facebook post about the matter from local media outlet Mississippi Television drew several similar reactions, though they were sadly in the minority.
Adam Allard/Facebook
Coco Lizana/Facebook
Lynn Zimmerman/Facebook
Kayla Jackson/Facebook
Justin Walgren/Facebook
Jerry Motyka/Facebook
Montgomery says a peaceful protest outside D'Iberville High School has been planned to show support for Jonas and represent the local LGBTQ+ community in the face of bigotry.
She said:
“We feel it’s important to meet them where they are, in their current circumstances and surroundings, to show up for them and not just in a bubble of a safe space."
"They need to know we are there in real life. Not just at Pride!”
Several comments on other posts about the incident accused Hole of having a "mental illness," a common refrain among transphobic bigots, but there is perhaps nothing more "mentally ill" than supporting the harassment and humiliation of child. May they all get the help they so obviously need.
