"Nice man bun, faggot."
To the guy in bar that randomly walked up to my brother and said, "Nice man bun, faggot":
"Did you punch him in his face?" My contractor-husband immediately asked.
"No. I just laughed," my brother replied.
"Wait,
what?" I asked. "Why did he say that to you? Were you obnoxiously
singing or something?" I naively responded, referring to one of Matt's
normal escapades that wouldn't have surprised me. As if an act like
this, or anything for that matter, could possibly warrant a comment like
this.
"Nope. I was just out to eat for a friend's going away party, and he walked up to me, said it, and walked away."
I
was shocked, furious, and frustrated. I'm a teacher. Not only am I
uncomfortable even typing a derogatory term like "faggot" but when I
hear immature teenagers use comments like this, I often respond with,
"Really? No one even says that anymore, let's not." Apparently, I'm
wrong.
I want to explain something to you, oh ignorant, impulsive, poor decision-making, random guy:
This is Matt Horbaly.
Yes,
he has long hair, which is often in a "man bun." And, despite it taking some getting used to, let me
explain to you why he has this, and what he did today.
This
is Jenny.
To us, she was Grandma Horbaly. Jenny was diagnosed with
ovarian cancer in 1999, and unfortunately, lost her hair as a result.
Despite not being a "kid," after my aunt helped "Wigs for Kids" with
some website design, they helped Jenny obtain a wig. Grandma Horbaly
beamed with her new blonde locks. We loved her post-chemotherapy
bandana, but she constantly wore the wig, saying she felt "more like
herself," and her confidence while it was on, spoke for itself.
"Why
are you growing out your hair?" My dad asked my brother 8 months into
the process. "You're a professional, is your work okay with this?" It
took some getting used to. My dad is from a generation where long hair
was often synonymous with rebelling or laziness.
"I'm gonna donate it, Dad, and yes, it's fine." And that, was that.
Skip
ahead 3 years, and here we are. Today, Matt donated 14 inches of
beautiful, natural blonde hair to Wigs for Kids. In case you don't know
what happens with hair when it's donated, watch this video, and grab your tissues.
As
if this doesn't speak volumes enough for his character, let me explain a
little further about Matt. Matt is awesome. He is the guy at the
restaurant that learns the waitress' name, calls her by it, and asks
how her day is, before she gets the chance to ask him, simply because he
truly cares about people--all of them. He's a guy that takes personal
days from work, to help his church pass out food at an outdoor produce
market. He's a guy, who shamelessly endured questioning, criticism, and
crude comments, to help a kid with cancer shine with the confidence his
Grandmother did years ago--and did it with grace.
So,
to the random guy in the bar, who may or may not ever read this: This
"faggot" is the quintessential definition of a Godly man and a reminder
to us all of the what this life is truly about; so take note.
On a side note. This is also his beautiful girlfriend, Katie. Another perk of the man bun 
