Amazing TikTok Dad Volunteers to Stand In for Disapproving Families at LGBTQ+ Weddings

Weddings are life events that are supposed to be a celebration of love. But for many members of the LGBTQ+ community, weddings are also occasions filled with heartbreak when members of their families choose not to attend.

Not wishing to see any LGBTQ+ couple feel alone on their big day, one man on TikTok has taken up the role of being a surrogate father to walk people down the aisle proudly and has since sparked a movement on social media.

The Big Day

A couple’s wedding day is a momentous occasion where the promise of a new life together begins. It’s an event that’s meant to be shared by your closest friends and family, and it often means the world to people when the ones they love can be there in attendance.

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So when a significant person in your life can’t attend for any reason, it can have a devastating impact on your special day.

The LGBTQ+ Community

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This feeling is especially devastating for folks in the LGBTQ+ community when their biological parents decide not to attend due to their inability to accept their son or daughter’s sexuality. According to the Trevor Project, “only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth found their home to be LGBTQ-affirming.”

However, one dad on TikTok has started a movement designed to change that, and his mission is to make sure couples feel supported on their big day.

Say Hello to Dan Blevins

Dan Bevins, who goes by @the_zombie_dan on TikTok, is a hairdresser living in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s also a father and just recently became a proud new granddad. Last year, Dan went viral and has since gained national notoriety for his extra step to ensure LGBTQ+ couples don’t have to feel alone on their wedding day.

Dan’s video has so far received over 62,000 views and 16,000 likes.

Family Is Much More than Just Blood

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“If you are a same-sex couple that’s getting married and you do not have any biological parents there to support you, please let me know,” Dan begins.

Dan then says that if he can’t attend the wedding, he has a large and growing network of “moms and dads that want to be part of your big day,” and they will be more than happy to attend and serve as your “biggest fans.”

An Update on TikTok

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In a follow-up video, Dan clarified that this invitation also extends to members of the transgender community who are soon to be wed. He also welcomes straight allies who like to volunteer as stand-in family members.

“On another note, holy crap!” he says. “You did the damn thing. I did not expect this kind of response out of a handful of people in my network, and it’s grown to hundreds already.”

The Heartwarming Response

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Not long after his TikTok went viral, Dan was flooded with many heartwarming and positive responses worldwide who voiced their support of his efforts. His response was overwhelming, from congratulatory comments to people asking how they can sign up to become stand-in family members.

“I just want parents. My birth parents turned on me because I’m trans. I think what your doing is great,” one user commented.

A Growing Empathy Movement

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Dan’s empathy movement quickly gained popularity, and with the help of his friend Otto Rae who started a Facebook group was born to spread the word.

The group “TikTok Stand In Families,” is a Facebook community with over 36,000 members and is designed to connect members of the LGBTQ+ community with stand-in families. From special life events to virtual support, the group is there to help LGBTQ+ couples.

The Today Show

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Dan also made a guest appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show, where he explained how he was inspired by Sarah Cunningham, the founder of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Free Mom Hugs. He decided he would stand in as a surrogate dad for anyone who needed a parental figure in their corner on their wedding day.

“I think we tend to take our family for granted,” Blevins said. “Filling that need of a mother figure or a father figure, even if it’s virtually, means so much to a lot of people.”

Dan’s Daughter’s Wedding

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Dan’s decision to create a unique support network for LGBTQ+ couples also came from a very personal place.

Dan once walked his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day in 2018 and said in an interview that the “thought of someone not having that parent at their wedding or in their life, it was just heartbreaking to me.”

No Signs of Slowing Down

Fast forward to the present, and what started as wedding day stand-ins have evolved into strangers opening their homes as safe spaces and lifelong friendships. Dan and Otto are even developing an app to connect people better.

“It has changed my life,” Blevins said on TODAY. “It’s shown me that there was so much good in the world where I really hadn’t seen that before.”

The video below shows you the Today Show segment about Dan’s movement.

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Sources:

  1. “Dad On TikTok Stands In For Absent Families At LGBTQ+ Weddings” Dad Patrol.