Michael Neri is a theatre producer in the UK.
As well as being incredibly busy while participating in a production of Rent, the 26-year old also runs a successful drama training school.
Oh, and he’s gay (not that it should matter).
This week, Neri received a text from a mother whose two children were set to start one of his drama programmes the following week.
The unnamed mother had instead decided to remove her children from Neri’s school as she’s ‘a Christian’ woman and didn’t agree with Neri’s lifestyle:
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Neri said:
“I was a little surprised to get the message; I did have to read it twice.
“I decided to reply as I felt it necessary to protect my name and business.”
So he did reply – with the best response ever:
And what about that deposit?
Neri added that he wanted to set an example for his students, and to live by his own teachings:
“I found [the text] hurtful; however, life is to short too worry about what other people think.
I always preach to my students, ‘Be yourself, life would be boring if everyone was the same.’ I simply put my words into action for myself.”
“When I was younger I would have loved for a place to go and be creative as well as have a safe haven to be with friends.”
He added:
“Everyone who comes to class is different and they all except and value each other for who they are. We love our students and they are so talented!”
While Neri has still not heard back from his ex-customer, he has said that the two children are more than welcome to take part in his classes in the future, saying he wouldn’t want them to be affected by a decision outside their control.
Now that’s a lesson in acceptance.
