Dolly Parton offers her advice on coming out of the closet

From “odd or different” to the “most caring of all”, Dolly Parton has revealed the changing meaning of the term ‘gay’ to her and how it helped her encourage family members to come out.

The iconic country singer grew up in the deep south of the United States in Tennessee which is strictly Christian and anti-LGBT, so she did not know the meaning of gay or transgender growing up.

“In my early days we did not know (what gay was),” she said to Pride Source. “It didn’t take me long to know that people were different and that was always fine with me ’cause I was different too, and I embraced and accepted them and I knew them.”

Now she is 70 years old and helping lesbian and gay family members come out of the closet, but previously as a teenager she only perceived the term ‘gay’ to be an endearing statement used to describe a male with stereotypical female characteristics.

“As I started to be a teenager there were a couple of guys downtown that everybody was sayin’ were queer, ya know?” recalls Dolly. “I know they often said that about anybody who was odd or different – ‘they’re just queer, just strange and odd’.”

However, growing up in a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ state, it comes as no surprise. Tennessee has often frequented the top ten worst places to be gay in America lists. It was also a state that did not bend on its archaic views on homosexuality until it broke under the weight of the US Supreme Court on 26th June 2015. This was the day it legalised same-sex marriage across the US, preventing the 14 states, including Tennessee, from preventing it any further.

Now, there is a fresh wave of education and competence and it is in this very environment where she built up her huge LGBT following and advocates LGBT people to have the confidence to come out.

Revealing that she’s often been a source of support for friends, family and colleagues coming to terms with their sexuality, she says: “You know what, I have so many (gay) people in my companies. And later on, I did find out I have many gays and lesbians in my own family. We accept them, we embrace them.”

The 9 to 5 singer goes on to offer her own advice for coming out to the world.

“Actually, I’ve had many people through the years who I have helped to feel good about themselves,” she admits. “I say, ‘You need to let people know who you are and you need to come on out. You don’t need to live your life in darkness – what’s the point in that? You’re never gonna be happy; you’re gonna be sick. You’re not gonna be healthy if you try to suppress your feelings and who you are.'”

She adds: “I have a huge gay and lesbian following and I’m proud of ’em, I love ’em and I think everybody should be themselves and be allowed to be themselves whoever they are, whatever they are.”

Words: Charlotte Callear

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