London, Sep 1 (PTI) Singer Dolly Parton has supported her relatives and family members, who are gay and lesbian, and helped them come out.
The 70-year-old country music legend said she did everything she could to support her homosexual relatives by nurturing and embracing them, reported FemaleFirst
"In my early days we did not know (what gay was). It didn't take me long to know that people were different and that was always fine with me.
"I was different too, and I embraced and accepted them and I knew them. I knew them well. Later on, I did find out I have many gays and lesbians in my own family. We accept them, we embrace them," she said.
The "Jolene" hitmaker believes that it is important that the LGBT community do not feel "separate" or "different" from other people.
"Oh, there are some in the mountains who still don't know quite what to make of it or how they should feel about it, but they're ours and they're who they are and we know they're wonderful and they're like us.
"We love the fact that they are who they are and we nurture that. We don't try to make them feel separate or different. We embrace it," she added.
