‘Recovering Bigot’ Apologizes To LGBTQ+ Community With Free Hugs At Pride March

A self-described “recovering bigot” has received a flood of praise online for apologizing to the LGBTQ+ community for his past mistakes by giving out free hugs at Denver’s Pride in Colorado on Sunday.

A viral TikTok video showed the man wearing a rainbow garland and holding a sign that read, “Recovering bigot. I am sorry. Free hugs.”

In the captions on the video, the person filming said, “To own up to your discriminatory beliefs and say I hear you, I see you, and I’m sorry, is top tier.

@ooh_lalalivia WATCH UNTIL THE END!!! Thank you sir for owning up to prejudices & saying sorry! I wish everyone could learn something here. My heart is so full seeing the community so accepting of his apology. #denverpride #prideparade #denverprideparade #lgbtq #lgbtqcommunity #lgbtqally #loveislove ♬ original sound – Ooh_lalaliva

“It was so heartwarming to see the LGBTQ+ community so grateful and accepting of his apology. The world needs more of this love and understanding.”

The two-minute video has had over 25k likes and over 133K views.

A person claiming to be the man’s father wrote in the comments: “This is my dad!! I just got a text earlier today from my mom (also there) saying how happy my dad was to be a part of something so special. #LoveWins”

Another commenter wrote: “I was raised ultra-conservative and didn’t start having my own views and letting myself see more than one side until about a decade ago… I’m sobbing.”

An image of the man also went viral on Twitter, with the user who posted the photo writing: “For many Christians, #Pride month is a perfect opportunity to workout one’s confession and repentance muscles. A friend in Denver sent me this photo of a “recovering bigot” making flesh-on-flesh amends with the children of God he once maligned.”

For many Christians, #Pride month is a perfect opportunity to workout one’s confession and repentance muscles. A friend in Denver sent me this photo of a “recovering bigot” making flesh-on-flesh amends with the children of God he once maligned pic.twitter.com/vWTgDTfIqi

— Jonathan Merritt (@JonathanMerritt) June 26, 2023