"I'd pull up to my grandma's house... there'd be a confederate flag on my grandpa's truck and he's like 'you know what that means?'... 'that means your grandpa hates black people'."
This is the reality Parson James, who is interracial, faced growing up in the deep south of the United States.
With his grandparents proudly racist and homophobic, James learnt early on that he would not be accepted, not only in his wider community, but in his own family.
"People hate people. Those same people were going to church every Sunday," he said.
If the colour of his skin wasn't enough to make him feel like an outsider, he also realised he was gay.
Without an example of someone gay, black and prominent in the South, James felt he had no one to turn to for hope.
His story is told in this short film, A Sinner Like You, which features a song written by James, as he now attempts to be that person he so needed, if only for someone else in his community.
It's beautifully told by the filmmakers from All:Expand. You can see more from the team over here.
If you have a short film, web series, documentary or any other interesting video stories you would like featured on HuffPost Australia, email emily.verdouw@huffingtonpost.com.au