Surprisingly though, reaction within our own community was mixed.
Grand was no star. He had no agent, no manager, no record label, and risked the $7000 he scraped together to produce a video and post it on the internet.
The video follows the friendship of two men, one gay, one straight, each balancing the frustrations that come with having a crush on a friend, and wanting to just be friends.
Were it a girl and a boy, it would have been just another cliché Taylor Swift video.
Unfortunately some of the reaction within the gay community proved that we can occasionally be our own worst enemy. While some reactions sympathized with the excitement that comes with the fantasy of lusting over a straight guy, some were downright visceral, claiming the video called gays "sad, predatory drunks."
Neither do the video justice and both speak from cynicism and segregated isolation.
Ironically those calling Grand's video a self loathing glutton for gay bashing are confusing openness with integration and acceptance. The best thing about this video is it steps outside the polarizing gay-only world most of us feel we have to subscribe to and hands us a fictional scenario where no one gives a shit.
We should all be so lucky.
Mark S. King, blogger for The Bilerico Project attempts to defend the gay community buy using every negative stereotype to his advantage, neglecting to identify with a growing trend amongst straight millennials who view their gay brethren as equals.
One sad fact about the gay community may prove to be our own silver lining. The truth is, as a community we have nothing innately in common with each other but our attraction to our own gender.
Divergent sexual orientation doesn't choose a race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. It happens to everyone. The sad fact is that a minority only bound by those we choose to love strives for acceptance by resorting to cold, political strategy, when all we really need to do is show the rest of the world we're just like them.
We crush. We reject. We face rejection.
Just like everyone else.
The brilliance in Grand's video lies within it's simplicity. It speaks from the heart, not the podium. As gays and lesbians continue to gain acceptance the lines between straight and gay can and should blur.
His portrayal of a boyhood crush might not be realistic yet, but it's what we should hope for. We've all rejected and been rejected. Grand's video turns our expectations upside down by replacing the benign rejection of "you're not my type" with sexual orientation by ignoring the false notion that it should be any different.
That's a good thing.
Reacting to the outpouring of support from both his gay and straight audience, Grand stated, "I would die a happy man today...and it's the first time in my entire life I can say that." Instead of seeking support from our own ugly stereotypes, let's enjoy the fact that we too can say the same.
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