California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill last Sunday establishing September 25th as “Dolly Parton Day” each year in honor of the recently deceased country music star and LGBTQ+ ally. Parton’s fans suggested the date, 9/25, in honor of Parton’s beloved song “9 to 5.”
Now, LGBTQ+ bars in West Hollywood are gearing up to celebrate, with drag shows, a film screening, specials, and parties themed after the legendary songstress.
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“We could all afford to live a little more like Dolly: Be kind, be humble, and have some fun… Be a diamond in a rhinestone world,” Newsom said during the bill’s signing ceremony. “With this bill, we are not just establishing a day to celebrate Dolly Parton; we are creating an annual reminder to us, every year, to live the way she did – joyfully, graciously, and with a whole lot of heart.”
In addition to offering Parton-themed specialty drinks, the LGBTQ+ bar Micky’s WeHo will host a “Dolly edition” of its recurring drag show Cirque du So Gay, with each queen perfoming to one of her songs, The Los Angeles Blade reported.
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The Gym Bar will offer Parton-themed food and drink while screening Parton’s 1980s feminist workplace satire 9-to-5, directed by gay screenwriter Collin Higgins and starring lesbian comedian Lily Tomlin. Schmitty’s Bar is encouraging patrons to wear country western clothing inspired by Parton and pose in a “Dolly photo booth” while the DJ plays her hits and bartenders serve Tennessee Teas.
The V Wine Room plans on playing Parton’s biggest musical hits while also playing clips from some of her most iconic films.
Dolly Parton’s LGBTQ+ advocacy increased over time
Parton had a career spanning six decades with over 50 studio albums, roles in 12 films — including the 1982 musical comedy Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, co-written and directed by gay filmmaker Colin Higgins — and appearances in over 50 television programs. She died on August 25 at the age of 80, after a brief battle with cancer, though her family never specified which type.
But the singer of “Jolene” and other country music hits wasn’t just known for her tunes, but also for her LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Dolly Parton was famously quiet about her politics and political views. She even twice rejected the current president’s offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a proposal by state lawmakers to build a statue of her at the Tennessee Capitol.
“I don’t do politics,” she said in a 2019 episode of her biography podcast Dolly Parton’s America. “I have too many fans on both sides of the fence. Of course, I have my opinion, but I learned years ago to keep my mouth shut about things.”
As a result, Parton never publicly said whether she was a Republican or a Democrat. However, The Independent noted that she voiced support for equal rights for all people, removed the word “Dixie” from a Dollywood attraction because of its Confederate origins, and has a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
In her 1991 song, “Family,” Parton sang, “Some are preachers / some are gay / some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away when it’s family.” While the comparison is unflattering, her message of LGBTQ+ acceptance only became more pronounced throughout her career.
In 2005, she allowed her song “Travelin’ Thru” to be used in the transgender family road-trip drama Transamerica. The song was also nominated for an Oscar. Parton spoke against transphobic bathroom bills, telling CNN Money, “I think everybody should be treated with respect,” and adding, “If I have to pee, I’m gonna pee, wherever it’s got to be.”
She also long supported marriage equality. She joked, “Why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do,” but she thoughtfully added, “I think love is love, and we have no control over that… I think people should be allowed to [marry].”
In 2011, when a woman at a Dollywood amusement park was told to turn her pro-marriage equality T-shirt inside-out, Dolly Parton personally apologized, saying, “Everyone knows of my personal support of the gay and lesbian community.” She also promised that such a thing would never happen again.
Parton was also against anti-LGBTQ+ Christians, saying, “If people want to pass judgment, they’re already sinning… I try to love everybody.” However, Parton isn’t perfect. She angered some fans by saying that some people may identify as nonbinary or pansexual because it’s “fashionable” or “for effect.”
However, she embraced her gay fans. In a 2016 New York Times interview, Parton said, “I have a huge gay following, and I’m proud of them. Sometimes some of them look more like me than I do.” She may have been referencing the time she lost a Dolly Parton look-alike drag contest. “I didn’t win,” she told Good Morning America in 2009. “I didn’t even come in close.”
She once quipped, “If I hadn’t been a woman, I’d be a drag queen for sure. I like all that flair, and I’d be dressing up in them high heels and putting on the big hair. I’d be like Ru Paul.”
Parton was also godmother to queer and genderfluid country music and pop artist Miley Cyrus.
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