A Texas couple said they received a touching note from a stranger who thanked the pair for encouraging the individual to come out as gay to their family.
Sal Stow, of Round Rock, shared a photo of the handwritten letter on Facebook on June 19. Featuring a drawing of a person holding the transgender and pansexual pride flags, the note appears to have been written by a young person.
“Hello. You don’t know me,” the letter begins. “We’re moving away today, but I wanted to thank you. Seeing a Pride flag waving so proudly outside your house everyday has given me the courage to come out to my family and be more comfortable with who I am.”
The post has been shared more than 1,000 times. Stow’s partner, Meghan Stabler, shared the photo on Twitter, where it has been retweeted almost 1,000 times.
“I just went out to collect 2 packages from the doorstep (at my partner Meghan’s house, that I call home) only to find this note under a rock on the mat. This is why visibility is SO important,” Stow wrote in her Facebook post.
“You never know who needs the support and to know it’s ok. I hope this person is ok, their family is being supportive and they find a community to connect with that can help them through this brave process … I will continue to be visible in whatever way I can.”
Stow told Good Morning America that she found the note after taking her dog for a walk. She said she “almost burst into tears” when she read it.
“Knowing our visibility [and] the impact it had on one person, it means so much,” said Stow, co-chair of the Human Rights Campaign’s steering committee in Houston. “We live in a very conservative area. So when I read the note I was thankful that through our visibility, we had empowered a young person to be comfortable within themselves.”
She said she decided to share the note in honor of Pride month, and although she has an idea who the author may be, she wants to protect the person’s privacy. Now she plans to frame and display the note, Stow told GMA.
“It blows my mind that it had this much of a ripple effect, especially in the climate we’re living in,” she said. “It makes my heart full seeing the impact it’s having.”
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