This tear-jerking advert full of proud fathers taking their queer children to Pride has gone viral
Stephen surprises his son, Liam (dublinbusnews/facebook)
Dublin Bus has released a heartwarming video featuring fathers picking up their children to take them to the city’s Pride parade.
The video has gone viral, with more than 640,000 views on Facebook, and according to the comments, it’s caused a wave of people to burst out crying.
The advert is reminiscent of “Now & Then,” which advertised Las Vegas by telling a beautiful, tear-jerking lesbian love story.
The dads and their children were among the 60,000 Dublin Pride attendees (dublinbusnews/facebook)
Dublin Bus’s video shows a rainbow-coloured bus full of “Proud Dads” who have Pride flags emblazoned on their hats, tops and jackets.
One admits: “It’s probably a thing that I wouldn’t go to,” before adding: “but I think we shouldn’t be closed to ideas like that.”
The video then moves on to following the dads as they pick up their queer kids.
Stephen McEvoy, who has worked for the company for 36 years, tells viewers: “The initial reaction, I think, will be total and utter shock.
Liam dances on the rainbow Dublin Bus (dublinbusnews/facebook)
“He’s not expecting this at all.”
The dad walks up to his son’s door and greets him with: “Good morning, Liam!”
Liam, clearly gobsmacked by seeing his father in a rainbow suit, grins and struggles to verbalise his reaction beyond delighted sounds.
Stephen told BBC News that Liam “said it was the best surprise he has ever had.”
Another dad then reveals to viewers: “This is her first Pride festival after telling everybody that she is gay,” at which point the camera shows his daughter running up to her dad and jumping into his arms, telling him: “I thought you were on holiday!”
A dad embraces his daughter before taking her to her first Pride since she came out to everyone (dublinbusnews/facebook)
“It’s a very important step,” he says in the voiceover.
Another proud father talks to the audience about his son, saying: “Eight months ago, she told us she was going to be trans.
“Two months ago, she said she was changing her name to Michael, and from now on, she was going to be he.”
Michael came out to his dad as trans eight months ago (dublinbusnews/facebook)
He’s then shown walking up to his son, happily exclaiming: “Hiya Michael! Let’s go to Pride, son.”
“Thank you,” says Michael, tearing up – and we’d be surprised if you don’t as well.
Michael and his father embrace (dublinbusnews/facebook)
Michael has since clarified on Twitter that “using the old pronoun for before I came out is something I’ve okayed.”
John Quinlivin, whose dad Pat showed up to take him to Pride in rainbow braces, told the BBC: “I’m aware that some people don’t have family as accepting as mine.
“I’m so lucky.”
He said that the rainbow-covered Dublin Bus had an “incredible” atmosphere, adding: “The tunes were going, there was dancing, it was such fun!”
And John revealed that when they got to the actual parade, which was attended by a record 60,000 people – more than double last year, according to organisers – Pat “loved it. He had never seen a Drag Queen before!”
People celebrate Dublin Pride (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Getty)
He said that it was “something I never thought would have happened.
“It’s an experience that I will hold close to my heart and think, that was awesome.”
Last month, Irish leader Leo Varadkar spoke out in support of LGBT equality in Northern Ireland.
The Taioseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland was speaking at a state reception marking 25 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in the country.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty)
Varadkar, the first openly gay leader in the country’s history, used his speech to speak out in favour of equality for LGBT people in neighbouring Northern Ireland, which is a region of the UK.
He also said that when it came to gay people in his country, they are “certainly not abnormal.
“To quote Lady Gaga, ‘Baby, I was Born this Way’.”
