Dolly Parton has just passed away at the age of 80, and the internet can wholeheartedly agree that the world is a darker place without her in it.
Not only did she have a bubbly and fun personality, but she was a prolific songwriter and performer, and advocated strongly for those in need. And one thing that's not talked about enough is how much of an ally she was to the LGBTQ+ community.
After her death, a video of her on Larry King Now resurfaced, in which Parton and King discussed the LGBTQ+ community and her protective allyship of it.
Parton claimed that she'd been made the "poster child" of the community because of her outspoken support.
"I am so outspoken as far as being accepting of people in general."
"I do not believe we should criticize and judge other people."
"I think we should be accepting and loving. We are who we are, and we should be allowed to be who we are."
King asked if she ever received pushback from faith-based or right-wing communities, to which she said yes.
"I get [comments] all the time. I keep saying, 'If you're the fine Christian you think you are, why are you judging people?'"
"That's God's job. We're not God. We're not judges."
"We're supposed to love one another. We're supposed to not judge and not take vengeance on other people."
"I think that we should be more loving, more caring."
"We are who we are. If you're gay, you're gay. If you're straight, you're straight."
"You should be allowed to be how you are and who you are."
You can watch the video here:
Viewers were touched by Parton's comments.
The world will need time to process this loss, particularly all the ways that Parton encouraged us to be better.
When she was coming up on her 80th birthday, she said in an interview with People that age was just a number and that she was looking forward to the many things she still wanted to accomplish in her life.
Though she may not have been able to do everything she wanted, she certainly left the world better than she found it.
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