I can only assume that — given your nom de plume, anonymous nature and the content you’ve been writing — you live life through a prism of seeing the glass as half-empty instead of half-full. And your patently ridiculous comment here doesn’t do anything to dispel this first impression.

It is not everyone’s bag to hug someone else. And it is not considered appropriate by everyone to hug someone else’s child. And if you grow up in our male-dominated society (some might say, patriarchy), you know how hard it can be to show affection/emotion as a man, and the extra layer of bullshit for us gay folks.

This may not be your experience. I literally have no idea who you are, and whether you’re a 70 year old cis heterosexual dude living in Iowa, or a 20 year old queer kid from Dubuque. But what I know clearly is that this situation was emotional, and Pete handled himself responsibly.

His team could have suppressed the question entirely, but did not. He could have not invited the kid up to the stage, but he did. He was visibly moved by the question and acted authentically — for him.

I don’t see life through the same bitter frame as you, sir (or madam). And that suits me just fine.