“How we are is who we are”: Dolly Parton’s support of transgender and broader LGBTQ+ community

Country music legend Dolly Parton, in a recent interview with “The Hollywood Reporter,” offered her thoughts on anti-transgender legislation passed in Tennessee, her home state, this year, saying that she wants “everybody to be treated good.” 

“I try not to get into the politics of everything. I try to get into the human element of it,” Parton told THR. “I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees. I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts — all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge. 

“I know how important this is to them,” she added. “That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me. If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are.”

In March, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, R, inked into law a bill completely banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children. Lee also signed a law that aims to curb “adult-oriented entertainment,” legislation that cropped up after heated controversy over drag show performances.