Man Finally Meets 81-Year-Old Cousin Who Was Disowned For Being Gay—And We're Sobbing

Sometimes it can feel like the internet is a destructive force, but other times it can really bring people together.

For Nick Barton-Wines, it brought him together with a cousin who in a perfect world he would have known all along.

Barton-Wines' mother found her relative living only a few hours away through AncestryUK.

The cousin—Roger—had been expelled from his family when he came out as gay decades ago.

This was after being forced into conversion therapy by his father which, as Barton-Wines noted, "didn't work."

After the post racked up tens of thousands of likes and comments, he and Roger posted a follow-up video to thank everyone.

People commented on how nice it was the two of them were able to unite after all these years.

Others just cried at their desks.

Many people replied with personal stories of members of their own families who were put in a similar situation.

As lovely as this reunion is, hopefully there will be no need for these reunions in the future.

Love and acceptance hopefully replaces ignorance and bigotry.

With that wish, we'll give Nick Barton-Wines the last word.