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“As a parent, you saw them take their first steps, you cried when they first said ‘I love you,’ you were there for those milestones. Then you’re going to cut them off because they love someone? Whether it’s religion or personal beliefs, I just can’t see any justification for that.”
It’s what drove Dittman, who lives in the small, conservative town of Karns City, Pennsylvania, to post about his experience on Facebook. One of the photos he shared was of a man whose family kicked him out at 19. Thirty years later, he still hasn’t spoken to them. Dittman said that when they embraced, the man sobbed so violently it felt as though Dittman was holding him up.
“I don’t identify as Republican or Democrat. I’m an Independent,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of hate mail calling me a leftist. I hunt, I fish, I carry a weapon, I’m a member of the NRA, but I’m out there hugging people."
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