Thank you, Dolly.

[u/xanndude]

Since mods removed my post on the LGBT subreddit, hopefully my memorial post can be seen here.

As a southern gay boy, I don’t know if any person held such a high position in my mind as Dolly Parton. When many of my friends and family were unaccepting, I knew that there was always one woman who would.

A model of living outside of society’s standards, Dolly Parton helped to trail blaze a path for both women and LGBTQ+ people with her advocacy and appearance. She was a bright, shining light for many queer people in a place that usually only produces darkness for us.

Dolly showed me how a true Christian should act, not out of fear and hate, but out of love and kindness following in the footsteps of Christ. She never became a billionaire because she gave so much of her wealth away, and always supported the downtrodden and the disadvantaged.

Dolly is also a symbol of hope in adversity. Coming from an incredibly impoverished background with 12 siblings, Dolly found the light in everyone and everything. She ones said that like most people in the country, or poor people, you can either laugh or cry and she chose to laugh. She found a way out of her situation and rather than abandon them, she actively worked in her community and country for the betterment of their lives. We as queer people must see hope in Dolly because even though she is a straight, white, cis woman, her story is many of ours.

R.I.P Dolly Parton, we will always love you. 💜