This Teen’s Powerful T-Shirt Just Won The Internet

Twitter can sometimes seem like a dark place. But sometimes, amidst the trolls going off on one bigoted rant after another, people like Houston teenager Aaron Tamez can occasionally have a poignant moment via the social network. Last week, Tamez wore a graphic tee that promoted acceptance across all walks of life, and he looking fierce as hell doing it. "Why be racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic when you could just be quiet?," the T-shirt reads. The phrase actually derive from a tweet by user @yikesbrandon, which has received over 28,799 retweets and counting. When Tamez saw the tee on an Etsy store called Green Box Shop, he just had to have it. (Oh, and as a bonus, it's made from fair trade organic cotton, too.)

Like many others who've grown up gay, Tamez has experienced his fair share of bullying. "I have been a victim of bulling because I am gay and, yes, I have overcome all of those obstacles in my life, and when I saw the shirt I was amazed because of the message the shirt says," Tamez told Buzzfeed. We're certainly into the idea of silencing the haters with the powerful weapon of personal style. But we can't take it too literally, because being quiet can allude to the idea of being compliant. Some users have responded with distaste for the tweet, citing their right to speak up even if their views don't align with those espoused on Tamez's T-shirt. But judging by Tamez's Twitter feed, it's pretty easy to see how thrilled he is that people are taking notice. "A LOOK," he captioned the viral tweet. A look indeed: His photo has been retweeted over 85K times. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're heading over to Etsy to cop a rainbow tie-dye version of one of these bad boys. Because why not take the already iconic graphic tee to a blinding level of extra? And after commending Tamez and ourselves for making such a great purchase, you can catch us vogueing down the streets of New York, living our equality out loud. You're all more than welcome to join us.