They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in this case it was all too heartwarmingly true. After Brody Neville, of Calgary, Canada, came out as gay at the age of 11 this past spring, he quickly lost almost all of his friends. The boy was facing a lonely birthday when his town rallied to his side for a Pride week bash in a local park, the CBC reports. Brody's mother, Leah O'Donnell, put things in motion with a Facebook post in which she recounted the way in which the brave youngster had suffered the loss of his friends as soon as he came out. "While talking to him about his birthday and what he would like to do, he is feeling dejected because he only has two friends, both of which are girls," O'Donnell posted. "One of the girl's fathers is against anything LGBTQ therefore does not allow her to hang out very often, the other girl we cannot get ahold of." The tearful youth told his mother that "nobody likes me anymore now that they know I'm gay," and fretted that his birthday was going to be a miserable occasion. O'Donnell was determined not to let that happen, so she announced plans for a barbecue at a local park, issuing a general invitation to anyone from the community that might like to show up and bring some cheer to Brody's 12th birthday. "Dozens of friends, family, strangers — and yes, some drag performers strutting to 'Born This Way' — filled the park" where the birthday bash took place. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ?️‍?❤️? (?: Brody Neville / CBCen)

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in this case it was all too heartwarmingly true. After Brody Neville, of Calgary, Canada, came out as gay at the age of 11 this past spring, he quickly lost almost all of his friends. The boy was facing a lonely birthday when his town rallied to his side for a Pride week bash in a local park, the CBC reports. Brody's mother, Leah O'Donnell, put things in motion with a Facebook post in which she recounted the way in which the brave youngster had suffered the loss of his friends as soon as he came out. "While talking to him about his birthday and what he would like to do, he is feeling dejected because he only has two friends, both of which are girls," O'Donnell posted. "One of the girl's fathers is against anything LGBTQ therefore does not allow her to hang out very often, the other girl we cannot get ahold of." The tearful youth told his mother that "nobody likes me anymore now that they know I'm gay," and fretted that his birthday was going to be a miserable occasion. O'Donnell was determined not to let that happen, so she announced plans for a barbecue at a local park, issuing a general invitation to anyone from the community that might like to show up and bring some cheer to Brody's 12th birthday. "Dozens of friends, family, strangers — and yes, some drag performers strutting to 'Born This Way' — filled the park" where the birthday bash took place. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ?️‍?❤️? (?: Brody Neville / CBCen)