To celebrate the best time of the year, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, an open call was put out to members of the LGBTQIA+ community living in regional Australian towns, encouraging them to share their stories on love, identity and acceptance.
After sharing their stories, a handful of legends received a visit from the Absolut Show All Your Colours Tour to host a Pride Pub in their hometown.
Well, it’s safe to say the first story broke me in the first 20 seconds. If you’re in need of a big, teary hug in the form of a video, this is it.
Meet Hannah, a trans woman from the tiny town of Trundle, NSW.
Throughout the video, Hannah and her partner Danielle break down their journey, from coming out in such a small community to the support they received from Hannah’s family and friends.
This line, however, made my heart burst into a million tiny turtle doves and I am not being sappy, it’s just facts.
“I will never forget the first thing my Dad said when I told him, and he said, ‘Look, I’ve always said I don’t care if you’re gay, or straight, or trans, I care about depression and I care about your mental health, and if this is something you need to do, then I’ll support you no matter what,” Hannah says.
See? Turtle doves. It is unfair to make someone this elated without asking for it.
Hannah continues, “My parents are golden, they’re my biggest champions, and I’m so, so, so lucky and so privileged to have parents who are like that, because I know that’s not always the case.”
I implore everyone to watch the video right now, and in the meantime, I will leave you with one more turtle dove-inducing nugget of happiness from Hannah:
“It means a great deal to be able to come back here and celebrate Pride, to celebrate Mardi Gras in little old Trundle. Never in a million years would I have thought that might happen.
“And for that matter, I don’t think anyone in the town would have ever thought in a million years, that this would happen.”
To stay updated with how the rest of the tour pans out, head on over here.
