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How Some LGBT Strangers in a Bookstore Saved a Closeted Man's Life

How Some LGBT Strangers in a Bookstore Saved a Closeted Man's Life

How Some LGBT Strangers in a Bookstore Saved a Closeted Man's Life

"Human kindness AT IT's BEST! Wow. I am filled with hope!'

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In response to an open call for stories about the kindest thing a stranger has done, an openly gay bookstore worker shared a touching story of queer love and support that's making Twitter virtually hug each other and sob. 

"Oh God I can’t even tell this story and not cry," tweeted @TweetChizone. "I used to manage an LGBT bookstore, when bookstores were still a thing. One night, a caller says he thinks he might be gay and is considering self-harm. We were not a crisis center! But as long as we’re talking, he’s safe, right?"

"So I talk to this guy and I answer questions, and I try to be encouraging and I’m maybe sounding a little frantic and I’m definitely ignoring the 4-5 customers in the store, and this angel of a woman puts her hand on my shoulder and asks for the phone. 'My turn,' she says."

"And SHE, this 50-something lesbian talks to this stranger on the phone. And a LINE FORMS BEHIND HER. Every customer in that store knows that call, knows that feeling, and every person takes a turn talking to that man. That story comforts me so much to this day."

Faith in humanity restored! Twitter had a lot of feelings about the story:

You might be wondering what they talked to the guy about. "Mostly what we talked about was just, like, thumbnail sketches of our lives," said the original poster in another tweet. "When we came out, how it went, the value we took from it. The important thing is there are SO MANY people in your corner; you have no idea how hard we’re cheering for you."

PRIDE has reached out to the storyteller for comment and will update accordingly. Anyone else need a tissue?

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

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author avatar

Taylor Henderson

Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one! 

Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!