08/26/2026
Today, Bloomington Pride MN joins millions of people around the world in mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, who passed away today at the age of 80.
Dolly gave the world extraordinary music, unforgettable performances, plenty of rhinestones, and a whole lot of joy. But the legacy she leaves behind is also one of remarkable generosity, compassion, and a deeply held belief that people deserve to be treated with dignity.
For the LGBTQ+ community, Dolly was a longtime and vocal ally.
She supported LGBTQ+ people during decades when doing so could be especially risky for a country music star. She spoke in support of marriage equality and transgender people, embraced her enormous LGBTQ+ fan base, and used her platform to remind people that love and acceptance should come before judgment.
Her support was more than words. Dolly and the Dollywood Foundation also supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, part of a broader lifetime commitment to health and humanitarian causes.
In 2005, she wrote “Travelin’ Thru” for the film Transamerica, whose central character is a transgender woman. The song earned Dolly an Academy Award nomination and offered a message about identity, change, searching for who we are, and continuing the journey.
And her generosity reached far beyond any one community.
Inspired by her father, who could not read or write, Dolly created the Imagination Library in 1995. What began by giving books to children in her Tennessee hometown grew into a global program that has now distributed more than 300 million free books to young children.
After devastating wildfires struck her home region in 2016, her My People Fund provided direct financial assistance to families who had lost their homes, ultimately distributing more than $12 million.
She donated $1 million to Vanderbilt for COVID-19 research, funding work that contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine, and supported pediatric infectious-disease research and other health initiatives.
Again and again, Dolly used what she had: her money, her fame, her voice, and her enormous platform: to make life a little better for someone else.
That spirit means something to us at Bloomington Pride MN.
Our mission is rooted in belonging, inclusion, education, advocacy, and celebration - the belief that people deserve to feel safe, seen, supported, and celebrated for who they are.
Dolly seemed to understand something beautifully simple:
There is room in this world for all of us.
Today the world feels a little less sparkly.
But the books children opened, the families who rebuilt their lives, the medical research she helped fund, the LGBTQ+ people who heard a country music icon say they belonged, and the countless acts of kindness she inspired will continue long after her final song.
Thank you, Dolly, for the music.
Thank you for the laughter.
Thank you for showing up for our community.
And thank you for reminding us of what it looks like to use a life well lived in service of others.
We will always love you. 🌈
