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Little boy’s reaction to Pride message on TikTok proves that visibility matters

Jennifer Bernard's son and Eric Boccia
Jennifer Bernard's son and Eric Boccia

A young boy has gone viral for his uplifting reaction to a gay music teacher’s TikTok in which the latter performs to Keala Settle’s “This Is Me.”

On Sept. 17, Jennifer Bernard shared a clip of her son reacting to Eric Boccia’s moving performance to the song. Boccia begins his TikTok by slowly adding makeup to his face. As the music builds up, Boccia layers on more makeup before the song hits a somber note.

“When the sharpest words wanna cut me down, I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown ’em out,” Boccia sings as he wipes away homophobic slurs written on his face. “I am brave, I am bruised. I am who I’m meant to be me. This is me.”

@jennifermbern

##duet with @ebosh214 This is my son’s 2nd time doing this duet, because he loves it so much. ##toddlersoftiktok ##fyp

♬ original sound – itsbybrandon

When the chorus hits, Boccia transforms into full costume — rainbow wig and all.

“Look out here ’cause here I come, and I’m marching on to the beat I drum,” Boccia sings. “I’m not scared to be seen. I make no apologies. This is me.”

Throughout the clip, Bernard’s son can be seen enthusiastically dancing along to Boccia’s TikTok. The toddler’s reaction has since received over 4 million views and more than 24,000 comments, including one from Boccia himself.

“Thank you all for @ing me on this one!” Boccia wrote. “I love this reaction. Thank you all for all the kind words! Do your thing little man! I am a fan of YOU!”

“I love this SO much,” another user wrote. “His emotions are thriving.”

“This Is Me” was released as part of the soundtrack for the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman.” The lyrics are intended to empower those who are treated differently by mainstream society. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 75th Golden Globe Awards.

If you enjoyed this story, you might want to read about how this bombshell drag queen went from a “nasty homophobic town” to big city greatness.

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