This video of straight Aussie dads reading from an adorable new book and talking about their gay sons will give you all the feels.
I Am a Poof is a new adult-children’s book and one dads in the video is the father of the author, Samuel Leighton-Dore.
‘One of the fathers is my own, and the others are those of friends,’ he told Gay Star News.
‘It was really touching to watch them all open up and discuss something so personal.’
In the video, Leighton-Dore’s father says of his son’s coming out: ‘It was so significant for him, but what’s remarkable is how insignificant an announcement it was for me.’
The book itself is a tongue-in-cheek story about a young boy coming out to his father and the unusually progressive advice his father gives in response.
‘Traditionally fairytales typecast heroes and villains, so I mindfully followed that more conventional structure; making the bullies our villains, and the young gay man our hero,’ the author said.
Leighton-Dore is a self-proclaimed ‘poof on mission’ but why did he use a word that many find offensive?
‘My choice of language wasn’t to provoke or polarize, but rather to deflate these everyday insults of their crushing power on children,’ he said.
The part-time relationship columnist said the book is a work of satire – but with a beating heart of its own. And a percentage of all profits will be donated to local LGBTI charities.
‘It’s so important that there are a range of characters and protagonists for young people to identify and relate to,’ he said.
‘Adults will take something from it, as will those approaching their teenage years. The main thing is to open up a positive dialogue.’
Watch the video below: