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Military men OBSESSED with My Little Pony say it's 'harder to be a Brony' than be gay in the US army
0 comments 15:56, 23 Sep 2015 By Natalie Corner
Thousands of adults males gather at the world's biggest fan convention for the colourful toy at BronyCon
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My Little Pony has fans across the world - usually young girls aged 4-7 - but that hasn't stopped grown men becoming fans.
Calling themselves 'Bronies', there are estimated to be as many as 12 million adult males around the world who are part of this world-wide fan phenomenon.
Presenter Michelle de Swarte heads over to the US to witness the craze at 'BronyCon' - the world's biggest convention of My Little Pony fans - for Channel 4 documentary World of Weird.
During a chat with a group of 'military Bronies', the presenter is shocked when they admit they believe it would be harder to be a Brony than be gay in the US military.
"I would say a Brony just because at least in the US military, homosexuals can serve openly in the military now and there are protective laws against discriminating against homosexuals," says one army drill sergeant.
"You’re not going to get kicked out of the army for making fun of a Brony," he adds.
Michelle also meets 26-year-old single man David, who tried to avoid the craze at first but couldn't help becoming obsessed with the animated series of My Little Pony.
He tells the cameras about his hobby: "I was worried people would think I was weird and maybe not like me as much. I wasn't secure enough in my masculinity to watch it basically."
Also appearing on the World of Weird is a man who has the world's biggest family - 39 wives and 94 children - as well as a couple with a pet 2,500lb pet buffalo and people in Japan who 'rent-a-family'.
