Photo: Facebook / Cody Barlow
June marks Pride Month, which is celebrated around the world with Pride Parades. One man from rural Oklahoma is here to show Americans that “not all country boys are bigots.”
Last Friday, Cody Brown posted a photo of his “tricked out” truck on social media: the pic showed the tailgate of his 1991 Chevrolet Silverado, which had been decorated with colored duct tape and mailbox letters. You can also see it at the bottom of the page, along with Brown’s original message.
In it, Brown explained that, though the very definition of a country boy, he was an ally for the LGBTQ+ community because he had family and friends who had suffered because of who they loved. He wanted to “drown out the hatred with love” and, for this very reason, promised to leave the handmade sticker on his truck until the end of the month, no matter the kind of criticism he would face for it.
His message has gone viral. Interviewed by CNN’s Don Lemon, Brown says he thought this was a good time to act out against the injustice. He was a silent witness for far too long.
“When I was younger, it seemed like everyone was the same. This is an area where everyone goes to church and nobody strays from the path,” he says. “I was trying to reach anyone it would help.”
“People are sending me these stories, telling me what they’ve dealt with over the years, telling me they were tearing up and crying while reading this post,” Brown adds. “Even if it helps one person, it’s worth it.”
For the record, Brown is a former U.S. Navy who was discharged in 2017 with PTSD. He served between June of 2013 to September of 2017, and was medically discharged. In addition to voicing support for the LGBTQ+ community, he’s also an advocate for medicinal marijuana, after it helped him with his insomnia, depression and PTSD when drugs didn’t work.
In it, Brown explained that, though the very definition of a country boy, he was an ally for the LGBTQ+ community because he had family and friends who had suffered because of who they loved. He wanted to “drown out the hatred with love” and, for this very reason, promised to leave the handmade sticker on his truck until the end of the month, no matter the kind of criticism he would face for it.
His message has gone viral. Interviewed by CNN’s Don Lemon, Brown says he thought this was a good time to act out against the injustice. He was a silent witness for far too long.
“When I was younger, it seemed like everyone was the same. This is an area where everyone goes to church and nobody strays from the path,” he says. “I was trying to reach anyone it would help.”
“People are sending me these stories, telling me what they’ve dealt with over the years, telling me they were tearing up and crying while reading this post,” Brown adds. “Even if it helps one person, it’s worth it.”
For the record, Brown is a former U.S. Navy who was discharged in 2017 with PTSD. He served between June of 2013 to September of 2017, and was medically discharged. In addition to voicing support for the LGBTQ+ community, he’s also an advocate for medicinal marijuana, after it helped him with his insomnia, depression and PTSD when drugs didn’t work.
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