Daniel Pierce Coming Out Video

Overview

Daniel Pierce Coming Out Video refers to a video Daniel Pierce, a nineteen-year-old from Georgia, which was uploaded to YouTube and shows his father and stepmother abusing him after he told them he is gay. After the video went viral a crowd funding campaign for Pierce’s living expenses gained over $100,000.

Background

On August 27th, 2014, a friend of Pierce’s uploaded a video titled “How not to react when your child tells you that he’s gay” to the YouTube channel Regina Ryan.^[1] The video features audio of Pierce’s family, identified as his stepmother and father telling him being gay is not a choice, informing him he will have to move out, and eventually physically and verbally abusing him. Within a week the video had gained over 5.5 million views.

Notable Developments

Also on August 27th, LGBT activist Dan Savage posted the video on his The Stranger^[5], explaining how it affected him saying:

“That was hard to listen to. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. My heart breaks for that poor, brave, tough kid. What the fuck is wrong with these people?

We could have a fundraiser up and running for this poor kid by morning--if we knew who he was and where he was."

On August 28th, The Huffington Post^[4] published an article titled “WATCH: Family Has Horrifying, Violent Reaction To Son’s Coming Out As Gay.” The article featured quotes from Pierce who explained his expectations going into the meeting with his family, saying:

""Their reaction was pretty much expected [once] I chose to leave instead of pray because they have always been very vocal about not supporting the gay lifestyle."

Also on August 28th, The Advocate^[7] published an article titled “WATCH: ‘Christian’ Family’s Terrifying Response to Son Coming Out” which features Pierce’s aunt, Teri Cooper, corroborating Pierce’s account of the violent confrontation with his family.

The video was covered by several sites the following day including the Daily Mail^[6] and NewNowNext.^[8]

GoFundMe Campaign

Also on August 27th, Pierce’s boyfriend started a GoFundMe^[2] page for a crowd funding campaign for Pierce titled “Living Expenses” with a goal of $2,000. Within a week the campaign gained over $90,000. On September 1st, Pierce published an update explaining:

“It’s important for all of you to know that right now, what I need most is time to think and work through the next steps in my life. I have been working closely with Atlanta-based Lost-n-Found Youth to help figure out what’s next for me. Right now, I’m safe and definitely feel your love all around me. Thank you!”

He also explained he would be donating a portion of the funds raised to LGBT charities.