Young LGBTQ+ kid pens letter thanking neighbor who flew pride flag in their small town

It's been more than 40 years since San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag as a symbol of the gay community. The Pride flag still holds such power and offers much hope to the LGBTQIA++ community as was proved by a scribbled letter dropped into the mailbox in a small town in Paris, Arkansas. Stephanie Robertson had been handed the Pride flag by her 30-year-old son last year, she decided to hang it up outside her home during Pride month. "She was excited to hang it up for the first time this year and kept it hanging up outside her home all throughout June," said Levi, reported Pink News. 

Stephanie Robertson is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and currently works part-time as a support specialist for the Forest Service at Ozark St Francis National Forest. She wanted to show support to the LGBTQIA++ community by hanging the flag but she probably didn't realize how much that gesture meant until she received a hand-written letter thanking her for the support. "She texted me yesterday and was like, 'You're not gonna believe the letter I found in our mailbox,' and sent me a photo of the letter." The letter was scribbled on notepad paper and signed off as a " young LGBTQ+ person."  

"Hello, this is probably kinda weird but I walk past your house every day and I've noticed your flag and I'm glad to know there is at least one ally in this little town," read the incredibly cute letter. Levi was moved by the letter and rang up his Mom. "I immediately called her and told her how profound and awesome it was that her hanging [the flag] made a child feel seen. She agreed and kept saying how she couldn't get over how sweet it was."

Levi tweeted the letter, where it went viral. He added that they planned to get a window sticker of the Pride flag to have on their house all year round. The tweet has been shared more than 55,000 times and liked by nearly 755 thousand people. The tweet was also flooded with positive comments, thanking Robertson for hanging the Pride flag. It meant so much more because she hails from a small Logan County, Arkansas town where the overall population is under 3,500 people. The anti-trans laws passed in the state have made matters worse for those trying to come to terms with their gender identity and sexuality and during times like this, even a small gesture such as hanging a flag can mean the world to someone. Many people also shared pictures of Pride flags hanging outside their homes.

Pride flags always kick up a stir in conservative neighborhoods. As we reported, a resident was asked to remove a pride flag displayed on their porch by their Home Owners' Association (HOA) citing a new rule that only the US flag could be displayed by residents. The rule had been put in place after people displayed flags reflecting their stances on the Black Lives Matter movement. The resident responded in the best way possible by taking down the flag and instead, lighting up their entire home and porch in rainbow pride colors.

Since the Home Owners' Association played by the rulebook, he retaliated in kind. "Looking through our new rules, we noticed that removable lights are permitted without restriction so... we bought 6 colored floodlights, and we washed our house in pride colors. A little less subtle than our simple flag," wrote the original poster on Reddit, before adding, "A lot more fun for anyone complaining about the flag itself and what it represents."