Colton Haynes Promises to Set a Good Example for LGBTQ Youth

In May, Colton Haynes came out as gay in an interview with Entertainment Weekly — and the Internet went absolutely bonkers. Since coming out, he's embraced the queer community and was featured on the cover of the September issue of OUT magazine.

Over the weekend, the 28-year-old Teen Wolf star accepted the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award and delivered an incredibly powerful speech. Fighting back tears, Haynes confessed that he had reservations about receiving the award, saying, “I don’t necessarily feel especially deserving of this recognition. We all know that there are many other ways, many other people who have come before me and blazed the trail as LGBT advocates and role models. And I’m walking in their shoes and I’m following their lead.”

In the end, Haynes closed his speech with a promise.

"My promise is simple and real, and I’m not making it to you. I’m making it to the next generations of lesbians and gay men, bisexuals, and transgender youth, and I hope my example will give them the confidence and hope to be who they are as well.”

Watch Haynes' acceptance speech below.