Twin brothers come out to their father in emotional viral video

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Thursday, January 15, 2015
Austin, left, and Aaron Rhodes.
creativeContent-The Rhodes Bros/YouTube, ABC News

When twin brothers decided to finally come out to their father as gay, they recorded the emotional conversation on camera, hoping to inspire and encourage others. In one day, the video has amassed more than 1 million views. Take a look below.

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Brothers, Aaron and Austin Rhodes are popular video bloggers on their YouTube channel, The Rhodes Bros, with over 80,000 subscribers since their launch in July, 2014.

The twins chose to come out to their father, and their entire YouTube audience, after already having been open to other family members and friends.

"With this new year, we wanna come back as authentic as possible, and we just want to give you guys everything and say everything we want to say," Aaron explained to their audience in the video.

Recording themselves as they speak to their father on the phone, the brothers become speechless and tearful as they reluctantly try to confess to him.

"I don't really know how else to put it: I'm gay. Austin is, too. We just wanted to call and tell you," said Aaron.

"I just didn't want you to find out through YouTube," said Austin. "I just wanted to be able to have that conversation. I feel like we're close enough, and I finally feel like I'm at the point now where I'm able to tell you ... I just don't want you to, like, not love us anymore--"

"Stop it," interrupted their father. "Would you just stop?"

"It's the way things are, ya know?" said their dad. "You grew up in a lot different generation than me. I just don't really know what to say."

After a pause, and the brothers anxious to hear his feelings on the subject, their father finally said: "You know I love you both, you know that'll never change."

"You've gotta live your lives, you've gotta do what you gotta do."

The twins' father explained that he had developed a more accepting attitude toward the gay community after many years of events witnessed at his job.

When Austin tries to apologize, hoping their relationship won't change and continue to be "normal," his father interrupted: "You are normal."

The father continues to tell his sons that he refuses to ask 'why?' or instruct them to change, stating, "You're living your lives, and that's all you can do in life: just live it. ... I love you both."

The video concludes with Aaron and Austin confessing they feel much better after having come out, and asking their audience -- gay, bi, transgender or straight -- to "do whatever makes you happy."