Old Video of Garth Brooks Performing Pro-LGBTQ+ Track Resurfaces

Video footage of Garth Brooks performing his anti-homophobia and anti-racism track "We Shall Be Free" has resurfaced on social media. It comes after his refusal to ban the sale of Bud Light in his soon-to-open bar.

While a faction of MAGA Republicans have vowed to throw out Brooks' music over his willingness to stock Bud Light, a number of fans have pointed out that the star's inclusive stance is nothing new.

Sharing an undated video clip of Brooks performing onstage, one Twitter user wrote: "Lol at people upset that Garth Brooks won't join in their anti-LGBTQ Bud Light boycott clearly don't remember him singing that we shall be free 'when we're free to love anyone we choose' 31 years ago. And then performing it with rainbow stage lights a few years back."

"And a lot of people don't remember that his sister [Betsy Smittle, who died in 2013] was a lesbian, and was in his band for a long time," said another.

"Exactly right," the original poster responded. "He also won a GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) award in '93 and performed in a concert for the Human Rights campaign 23 years ago. None of this is new, just conveniently forgotten in the name of fresh outrage."

"Garth Brooks has always been a guy who is kind and not afraid to have the LGBTQ+ communities' backs," tweeted another fan. "People acting shocked he isn't hateful like they are, have never listened to his music anyway."

The video clip, which has been viewed more than 120,000 times, received a largely positive response, though one detractor commented: "It appears you misunderstand. We have no beef with LGB. We have a problem with the targeting of CHILDREN and hurting WOMENS RIGHTS by males competing in women's sports. Got it? Good." The comment was met with derision from other Twitter users.

Brooks does, indeed, have a long history as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. His track "We Shall Be Free", which condemns homophobia and racism, was released in 1992.

"'We Shall Be Free' is definitely and easily the most controversial song I have ever done. A song of love, a song of tolerance from someone who claims not to be a prophet but just an ordinary man," Brooks wrote in the CD booklet of his classic album The Chase.

"I never thought there would be any problems with this song," he went on. "Sometimes the roads we take do not turn out to be the roads we envisioned them to be. All I can say about 'We Shall Be Free' is that I will stand by every line of this song as long as I live. I am very proud of it."

Speaking of his new bar, Brooks told Billboard last week: "I know this sounds corny, I want it to be the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks."

"I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another."

Alluding to the Bud Light backlash, the musician said: "And yes, we're going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It's not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you're an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway."

Bud Light drew relentless criticism in April for a small branded partnership it had with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In a video posted to Instagram on April 1, Mulvaney said that the beer brand had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of her living as a woman.

Mulvaney's partnership with Bud Light drew condemnation from several conservative figures, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX). Many issued boycott calls, and there has been overt scrutiny of an increasing number of companies over their pro-LGBTQ+ marketing initiatives. Musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich were among those who publicly declared their aversion to Bud Light over its collaboration with Mulvaney.

However, Brooks recently bucked the trend with the recent announcement that he will not be banning the beer from his bar, Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, when it opens this summer in Nashville's popular South Broadway District.

In recent months, the number of large U.S. brands being targeted with boycott calls has grown dramatically, as a host of different companies unveil products supporting Pride Month, which takes place every June. Companies supporting the LGBTQ+ community outside of Pride Month have also faced backlash from conservatives.

Brands including Target, Nike, Adidas and Barstool Sports have been at the center of a furor over LGBTQ+ marketing at a time when anti-transgender sentiment appears to be growing in the United States, with bills targeting transgender people sweeping through Republican state legislatures.