A video posted to TikTok by Connie Kingston has received over 8.8 million views in just four days for the wholesome way that her father responds to her coming out of the closet. The big moment seems to come out of nowhere, and her father doesn’t even miss a beat.
In the video, Connie is lying down and talking to her father, Michael Kingston, about dinner plans when she coyly slips in some information about her “friend,” Daya.
Daya and Connie live in North Carolina and have been dating since November 2022.
Here’s how the conversation went:
Connie: Oh yeah, Daya’s not my friend.
Dad: Why do you say that?
Connie: She’s my girlfriend.
Dad: Oh, that’s cool. I really like Daya.
Connie: Really?
Dad: Yeah, of course.
Connie: I like her too.
Dad: She’s wonderful. Yeah. So are you.
The father then explains why he is accepting of her lifestyle and supportive of her relationship.
“Connie, I love you so much,” her dad says over the phone. “There’s nothing you can do that would make me not love you. And there’s nothing wrong with that lifestyle. I perfectly agree with that lifestyle. So some of my good friends in college had different lifestyles than me. I love you.”
Michael doesn’t just tell her he supports her but shares why he feels that way, so she’s even more confident about coming out to him.
@ilovemygf1ffffffffffff Crying watching this . I lobe you dad My cry was so ugly lol #fyp #foryoupage #lgbt #lesbians #comingout
The video attracted countless comments from people touched by the genuine, heartfelt interaction between father and daughter.
“Does your dad need extra children? Cuz we allll need a dad like that!” Tristann Whittaker wrote.
“When his voice shakes when asking if you were worried about that tore me up, he loves and cares about you so much you are lucky girl,” Deactive added.
The father and daughter appeared on Good Morning America to discuss their relationship.
Unfortunately, Daya’s family wasn’t as supportive of her relationship as Connie’s father. “They weren’t exactly as accepting as I wish that they would have been. And it was kind of a letdown for me,” she told Good Morning America. Daya’s parents’ reaction inspired Connie to tell her parents about their relationship because Daya needed the support.
Michael was concerned that Connie didn’t think he’d be as supportive as he was. “Did she think that I was going to react in a negative way?” he wondered.
“I’m surprised and a little sad because I hope that would be everybody’s responsibility,” Michael told Good Morning America. “You know, when someone you love finds someone they really care about in this world and that person cares about them, then why wouldn’t that bring everybody joy?”
It’s 2023, and just as Michael says, everyone should be accepting of their LGBTQ child. But his reaction is remarkable because of the tender way that he shows his total support for Connie and Daya’s relationship. His response is an excellent lesson to parents everywhere on how to give full support to an LGBTQ child.