Tess Coming Out on This Is Us Shows Parents How to Support LGBTQ Teens

NBC's emotional drama This Is Us just got a little bit gayer. 

In the show's midseason finale, Tess (Eris Baker) has a heart-to-heart with her parents Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) about her struggles at school. 

She begins shakily, "I'm sorry I've been so weird lately. I've been uncomfortable around you guys all of a sudden. I have a stomach ache all the time."

On the verge of tears, Tess shares what's been on her mind with her parents. "People at school have been having crushes and stuff and lots of girls have boyfriends...But I don't want one."

Relieved, Randall chimes in, "That's perfectly okay. It's long been a dream of mine that you would never ever-"

"It's because I think I might like girls," Tess interrupts. "Not boys."

She looks around at her parents' faces and quickly adds, "But I don’t know. Maybe I don’t. It’s just...I didn’t want to tell you guys because I didn’t want it to become a thing."

Many LGBTQ people can relate to that stress of holding in a secret, terrified of how your family and friends might react if you ever show them who you really are. Those seconds following your coming out can feel like an eternity of tension and anxiety. But Randall and Beth's responses are so warm that I wish they were my parents and I could've come out to them. 

"We love you no matter what, okay? Look at me," says Beth. "You see me? Look at your dad. You see him? Do you see anything other than two people who love you more than two people can love anyone in the entire world?"

We breathe a sigh of relief along with Tess as her parents warmly embrace her. Black families are often (falsely) stereotyped as more homophobic than other races, but This Is Us has given us a heartwarming example of what a coming out can look like—and how any parent can support their LGBTQ children.

As a Black gay man who watches tons of coming outs professionally, this scene touched my heart. Seeing a story like this with a family that looks like mine is powerful proof of the power of representation.

Grab some tissues and watch the clip in the video below!