It's not a secret how much the LGBTQ+ community—and especially gay men—adore the singer Cher.
The affection is mutual, as the singer confirmed in a speech given at a re-opening event at The Abbey in West Hollywood recently.
The event—which was star studded with celebrities who are members of or beloved by the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ community—featured Cher as well as a pop-up event for her "Cherlato" gelato line.
In her speech, she thanked gay men for always being there for her, and then recounted a funny anecdote about the first time she ever saw a gay man. Cher was about 9 years old and met some gay men who were visiting her mother and immediately was smitten.
The Oscar winner recounted:
"But I thought, ‘Wait a minute… Why aren’t the other guys as funny as these guys?’."
"It really was love at first sight."
You can watch the moment here.
Some people were so overcome by the story they could only express themselves in emojiis.
Others named Cher a treasure.
Some folks just wanted to talk about the party at The Abbey.
@michael.ferrera/Instagram
Another person chimed in with how much Cher meant to them and their gay daughter.
Many, many folks were having a real case of envy for anyone lucky enough to be in attendance.
Someone shared a story about Cher's long history with the gay community.
And as always, whenever a singer appears in public, people wanted to know when the next album would drop.
Cherlato is for now only available from the Cherlato truck in the Los Angeles area in future pop-ups.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram