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| - Claims of a quote from country music legend Dolly Parton about "love" for the LGBTQ community circulated widely on the internet in late February 2025.
The purported quote read, "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."
Some users posting the quote on Reddit and social media platforms like X (archived) and Instagram (archived) also included an image of Parton overlaid with the quote and a logo for the entertainment industry outlet The Hollywood Reporter (THR) in the top left corner.
Be more Dolly. pic.twitter.com/ty0Fwvnzed
— Jason Reid (@JasonReidUK) February 23, 2025
Indeed, the alleged quote about transgender, gay, lesbian, and drug-addicted people in her family is correctly attributed to Parton. Further, the image accompanying some posts about the quote that features a THR logo is authentic.
Parton's quote originated in an interview with THR on Nov. 2, 2023. The interview was conducted to promote Parton's album "Rockstar," which was released on Nov. 17, 2023.
The full question and answer reads:
You live in Tennessee, and earlier this year the state passed a bill that allows for discrimination against trans people. You have a large gay following and you've supported the community, but what are your thoughts on this bill?
Well, what I always say, "I just want 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. 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.
And I just see how broken-hearted they get over certain things and I know how real they are. I know how important this is to them. 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.
The image shared in the claims originated from a THR post on X (archived) promoting the interview.
While the quote is clearly present in the interview, Snopes also confirmed the veracity of the statement with Parton's representatives, who confirmed THR accurately quoted the musician.
Snopes has covered other claims related to the entertainment icon, including rumors that she turned down the Presidential Medal of Freedom multiple times and how her charitable work was twisted on TikTok to diss other celebrities.
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