Honey Boo Boo Family Bucks Redneck Stereotype In Their Warm Acceptance Of Sugar Bear’s Gay Brother ‘Uncle Poodle’

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has been a breakout hit for the family of Toddlers And Tiaras star Alana Thompson, mom June and daddy Sugar Bear, but in pop culture, the family has been somewhat mocked for being very Southern Southerners — until we met Uncle Poodle.

The r-word (“redneck”) has been bandied around when describing the tight-knit family and their ketchup and spaghetti dinners, but it is undeniable that the cast has also catapulted themselves to stardom just by being quirky and watchable, perhaps best described as a guilty pleasure.

Honey Boo Boo’s Alana and her mom work the pageant circuit, almost a bit like a real-life Little Miss Sunshine type thing, as Alana really is unique compared to her Toddlers And Tiaras co-stars — hence the spin-off show of her very own.

But the South has also typically been a bastion of anti-gay sentiment, kind of the seat of support for Chick-Fil-A when the company espoused an anti-gay marriage stance earlier this summer. But the Honey Boo Boo family is a bit different, as showcased in the show’s season finale and the family’s relationship with dad Sugar Bear’s brother, who Alana affectionately dubbed “Uncle Poodle.”

In a clip from last night’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Uncle Poodle made an appearance, and little Alana’s love for her gay uncle was palpable. And while there was some stereotyping, it was somewhat benign and again, loving — June mentioned gay men have an affinity for flounce and dancing, and just the fact that Alana refers to gay men as poodles might be seen as slightly dismissive, save for the fact it is clear that Uncle Poodle is totally accepted and loved by the clan.

And the tot even manages to describe, without the supposed confusion many anti-gay people say is sparked in kids when presented with a gay adult, her feelings about her beloved uncle — Honey Boo Boo just declares that “ain’t nothin’ wrong with bein’ a little gay. Everyone’s a little gay!”

Check out Honey Boo Boo’s gay acceptance speech below — do you kind of love this kid?

Edit: Several sites note that Alana may have actually outed Anderson Cooper several months before he publicly confirmed his homosexuality by dubbing the anchor a “nice poodle.”