Like never before, the world was touched by the stories of LGBTI people in 2013.

This year saw more LGBTI stories and moments going viral, issues of interest only to the community suddenly becoming mainstream.

It wasn’t just LGBTI people who wanted to read heartwarming letters of a proud dad to his gay son. It wasn’t just LGBTI people who wanted to watch kids reacting to the idea of marriage equality. And it certainly wasn’t just LGBTI people who listened and loved to a proud straight grandma who wrote a song for her lesbian niece.

If the winter nights are freezing, these stories might warm your heart.

1. Kids reacting to gay marriage will warm your heart

In November, Fine Bros, a company specializing in creating memes and videos of children reacting in funny ways put out a video of 13 children reacting to gay marriage.

The children were then asked their opinion on LGBTI rights, and the results were amazing.

It soon went viral, with the video receieving over 10 million views.

2. Columnist gives perfect response to anti-gay parent

Advice columnist Amy Dickinson delivered a witty response to a letter from a homophobic parent who asked her advice on how to get their son to ‘stop’ being gay.

Here it is below:

Dear Betrayed:

You could teach your son an important lesson by changing your sexuality to show him how easy it is.

Try it for the next year or so: Stop being a heterosexual to demonstrate to your son that a person’s sexuality is a matter of choice – to be dictated by one’s parents, the parents’ church and social pressure.

I assume that my suggestion will evoke a reaction that your sexuality is at the core of who you are. The same is true for your son. He has a right to be accepted by his parents for being exactly who he is.

When you ‘forget’ a child’s birthday, you are basically negating him as a person. It is as if you are saying that you have forgotten his presence in the world. How very sad for him.

Pressuring your son to change his sexuality is wrong.

If you cannot learn to accept him as he is, it might be safest for him to live elsewhere.

A group that could help you and your family figure out how to navigate this is PFLAG.org. This organization is founded for parents, families, friends and allies of LGBT people, and has helped countless families through this challenge. Please research and connect with a local chapter.

– Amy

3. Grandfather disowns daughter after daughter disowns gay son

A letter from a disgruntled man to his daughter who had disowned her gay son emerged in October and the fierce letter was heart warming to see. The man, disappointed with his daughter was strong and a beautiful response to the prejudice some people still hold.

4. Transgender student crowned home coming queen

Transgender student Cassidy Lynn Campbell made history on Friday 20 September when she was crowned homecoming queen of Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California.

Campbell wants to now become an LGBT activist and has this message for other transgender teens: ‘Just to be true to themselves and to let people know around them and to not keep it bottled up inside.’

5. Frat brothers helping to raise money to pay for transgender surgery

Early in the year a story emerged about a Donnie Collins, a transgender student at Emerson College whose health insurance wouldn’t cover his gender reassignment surgerty.

The Phi Alpha Tau fraternity decided to help Collins raise the money by posting a video on youtube and setting up a donation page on crowdfunding website Indiegogo.

The response was phenomenal and the brotherhood raised 5 times the amount Collins needed for the surgery.

Once the story went viral the insurance company decided to pay a part of the surgery. Collins posted an emotional thank-you response on Youtube and the excess money was donated to charity. A great story all round.

6. Dad overhears son and saves him trouble of coming out

Letters going viral have made some of the best stories this year and one of the the best and simplest was from an understanding father saving his son the trauma of having to come out to his parents. The letter, simple but lovely, really is heart-warming.

Nate,

I overheard your phone conversation with Mike last night about your plans to come out to me. The only thing I need you to plan is to bring home OJ and bread after class.

We are out, like you now.

I’ve known you were gay since you were six, I’ve loved you since you were born.

– Dad

PS Your mom and I think you and Mike make a cute couple.

7. Australian film explores gay love at high school

The Australian theatre for young people in Sydney made a touching short-film about first love between two boys at school. The film, which got over 450,000 hits on YouTube, starred 17-year-old Kim Cho and is entitled the ‘Language of Love.’

The idea for film was conceived when Cho had a moment of inspiration while sitting in a French Exam.

8. Grandma writes love song for lesbian niece’s wedding

In May, a Tennessee grandma of eight decided to write a love song for her lesbian niece’s wedding called What If We Are Just Like You?

‘I’m not an activist, but I get goddamn mad by narrow-mindedness and prejudice and crazy stuff,’ Sherri Gray told Gay Star News.

‘We [religious people] are not all crazy, we’re not all nutjobs, and we don’t hate all LGBT people.’

Since her song featured on the website, going viral, her life has completely changed.

A choir has performed the song, and Gray has also been invited to perform What If We Are Just Like You at Sydney Mardi Gras next year.

Check out the song below:

‘I’m not an activist, but I get goddamn mad by narrow-mindedness and prejudice and crazy stuff,’ she told Gay Star News. – See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/grandma-72-writes-gay-marriage-love-song-help-god300513#sthash.Xbek5nhf.dpuf

A grandma of eight, 72, has written a gay marriage song that she believes may have been a result of divine intervention. – See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/grandma-72-writes-gay-marriage-love-song-help-god300513#sthash.Xbek5nhf.dpuf