Its popularity gave a boost to the four graphic novels the series is based on, which hit numbers 2, 3, 5 and 6 on the New York Times bestsellers list for graphic books and manga last June. Since season one launched on April 22, 2022, the show has landed in the top spot on Variety’s trending TV chart, earned a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and been renewed by Netflix for two more seasons (season two premieres August 3, 2023). Heartstopper’s healing powers are working. But it always brings me back to where I am now, and I just feel better about myself.” Today, Gary has been teaching theology at a Catholic school in Illinois for over 30 years, and has worked to find and create community for queer people like him. “I kind of cry a little bit for who I was as that young person. “It’s wonderfully therapeutic and healing,” he says. Watching Heartstopper gives Gary a way to touch and feel that experience again, some 40 years later. For Gary, 59, the show is a catharsis for moments in his own life growing up gay, like when someone outed him to his family. Though Heartstopper centers high schoolers, people of all ages are reveling in the hopeful LGBTQ+ stories. “It sends the message that the best is possible,” Gary says. As the leader of an LGBTQ+ youth support group, Gary Kopycinski always tells his students: “Live for the best, prepare for the worst.” Enter Heartstopper, a Netflix show about British teenagers grappling with queer love, identity, friendship, and mental health. He also hosts the podcast ReFocus with Jim Daly. Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family and host of its daily radio broadcast, heard by more than 6 million listeners a week on nearly 2,000 radio stations across the U.S. There are many more like them in communities across the United States, and they need our support, our investment in their future, and our example, not our ridicule. The next time you read a story or see a movie dismissing masculinity as “toxic” or depicting all men as hopelessly selfish buffoons, I hope you’ll remember the brave teenage boys who helped fight the Texas wildfires. It’s true for boys across every country and culture. It’s true for boys who are experiencing poverty and for those who enjoy seemingly limitless privilege. This is true for boys in urban and rural settings. This is what every young boy needs! A caring father, along with extended family members, pastors, and reliable mentors who will help him channel his God-given masculinity in healthy directions. When the mother of one of the boys was interviewed by ABC News, she indicated that her fears for her son’s safety were mitigated by the fact that he was “around some really, really amazing men” who would offer guidance, protection, and training. That’s why it was so encouraging to see two generations of men join together to fight the fires near Pampa. Finally, midway through high school, a caring Christian football coach took me under his wing, introduced me to Jesus Christ, and helped provide some of the critical pieces that had been missing for much of my life. There wasn’t a single positive father figure in my life to help me figure it all out. But I did have to navigate high school, relationships, and just growing up in general. Despite growing up in Southern California under the threat of the Santa Ana winds, I never had to fight a wildfire. This was a critical element missing in my own upbringing. It’s a neon sign illuminating the importance of fathers, grandfathers, and other men investing in the lives of the next generation and serving as mentors and role models. This speaks to something far beyond the technicalities of fighting wildland fires. Each of these teen boys was paired with an older, more seasoned firefighter to help them navigate the unprecedented challenge before them. Listen to the ReFOCUS with Jim Daly podcast, where Jim digs deep and asks the hard questions to help you share Christ’s grace, truth and love.Īnd it wasn’t just the young men. They ran toward the flames and put themselves at risk for the sake of their families, homes, and communities. These brave young men on the plains of Texas are most certainly heroes. But we hear precious few stories about males who channel their masculinity into pursuits that are productive, selfless, and in this case, even heroic. And yes, there are plenty of valid and distressing examples of men behaving badly. Instead, we read a lot about “toxic masculinity” and the idea that all males are either dangerously chauvinistic or pathetically inconsequential.
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