In a Tuesday appearance on CNN's Larry
King Live, legendary actress-singer Dolly Parton said she loves
her gay fans.
The star of Nine to Five and
Steel Magnolias reminisced about her over 40-year career with
her host.
When King asked her about her loyal gay
following, the 64-year-old entertainer said: “I have a lot of gay
fans, female and male. A lot of people feel they've grown up with
me.”
“I've always believed that a person
should be who they are and you should be comfortable being who you
are and people should leave you alone to be who you are and how you
are. So I think I've always been accepted in the gay community
because I accept them.”
Parton, whose Dollywood theme park in
Tennessee is celebrating its 25th anniversary, also said
she didn't understand why gay teens would be bullied by classmates.
“You can't tell me that people are
any way other than how they're supposed to be,” she said. “I
don't think gay people are trying to be different just to make other
people miserable. … I think we should be a little more tolerant and
a little more accepting and understanding.” (The video is embedded
in the right panel of this page.)