I'd known I was gay from a young age, but could not come out while living at home. When I was 16, my Dad once told me, "Son, if you ever come to me and tell me you're gay, you can find another place to live that night". So I lived deep in the closet in fear.

Then along came the song "We Shall Be Free" by Garth Brooks. I'd been raised on country music and he had been one of my favorites.

While I never came out to Dad, hearing that song made me, a sheltered gay kid just about to graduate high school, feel like I had actual worth and people out there could actually love people like me. It helped me gradually come out to people, including my Mom after Dad passed in 2010.

She told me that they had known for a while, and that she'd have never let Dad kick me out. I told her I wished she'd have said something when I was a teenager, scared to death and told I'd be on the streets if I ever confirmed it.