This 'straight country boy's' truck went viral for the best possible reason

With a history synonymous with slavery, the KKK and a hard pushback against the civil rights movement, it's not surprising that the southern states of America are still not exactly famed for their tolerance.

They're consistently voted among the worst places for LGBT+ people to live in the US, while a recent report found 47 percent of transgender southerners had experienced "high levels of violence by strangers".

So you might expect that a political adornment on the truck of a self-proclaimed "country boy" would have gone viral for less than savoury reasons.

Happily, this was not the case - and made a few people re-evaluate their stereotypes.

Earlier this month, student Cody Barlow took to Facebook to post a picture of his pickup truck, which he had decorated in rainbow colours with the message:

Not all country boys are bigots. Happy Pride month.

The image and accompanying message soon went viral.

On Sunday, Mr Barlow took his truck to Oklahoma's Pride celebrations, and wrote on Facebook:

I saw people laughing, smiling, and radiating happiness. It was all about expression, love, and supporting others. A beautiful sight.

People were delighted by Mr Barlow's efforts.

For some years now, country music has seen rising stars keen to deliver a more inclusive message.

While it's less clear how a "country boy" should be defined, urban dictionary's take might surprise you.

According to a post on the site, "Y'all got it wrong":

A real country boy may or may not have been raised in the backwoods, but loves the outdoors and spends a lot of their time fishin', huntin', sittin' around a bonfire with friends, and muddin'.

They're generally laid back but do have a wild side. A real country boy usually drives a pick up truck, listens to older, as well as new, country music. They hunt, fish, and stick to their roots.

The good Lord above is always the one they praise and they are very strong-wiled.

A real country boy expresses his beliefs, although they may be unpopular, and isn't afraid to speak the truth.

99% of us are NOT white trash, ignorant, close minded racists.

People were delighted with his efforts.

More: This guy offered 'free dad hugs' at Pride and it's the loveliest thing you'll see today