Alexander Duarte knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate National Coming Out Day.

The gay student at Valley High School in Orange County, Calif., was going to make good on a joke he and the school’s football team captain, Erick Pineda, had going earlier this year. According to Instinct magazine, Pineda had joked to his friend, Duarte, that the two should go to homecoming together.

In an over-the-top homecoming proposal, Duarte popped the question in front of dozens of cheering students and staff. Pineda said “yes.”

“It’s very important for me to be going to Homecoming with Alexander because I’m setting an example for not only my school, but also my community,” Pineda told Instinct. “I was definitely excited to be asked to homecoming because I knew how important this was for my friend and seeing the support from the staff and students was amazing.”

Instinct magazine talked to both Duarte and Pineda, and they have a bunch of photos and video of the proposal, too. Pineda talked about why they weren’t always friends, and what’s changed between the big, tough football captain and the gay kid.

You can find Alexander Duarte on Instagram @theriseofhorus.

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