How Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall Inspired This 22-Year-Old to Come Out

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Inspired by Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall, a 22-year-old man came out as gay in a heartwarming post on social media.

Conan Smith initially took to Facebook to write, "I’m gay! This is not something I had to do but something I wanted to do."

The Ireland-native continued:

"The reason for me doing this status is because I finally feel that it’s time that I no longer have to hide something that is such a huge part of my life. I want to be in the company of my friends and family and feel that I can be myself no matter what."

Smith then tweeted the Facebook post to his followers, adding that singer Jade Thirlwall—who’s been an outspoken advocate of the LGBT community—gave him the strength to come out.

"#JadeThirlwall from @LittleMix is a huge inspiration to me and I am so thankful for the platform she gives to the #LGBT community," Conan Tweeted.

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Posting from Little Mix’s twitter account, Jade actually retweeted Conan’s initial tweet, adding, "You should be so, so proud of yourself. And I feel so humbled and honoured to have a played a part in your personal journey. Congratulations on this new chapter of your life, where you can be completely yourself with the love and support of those around you jade x"