Long before they were painting their beards the colors of a rainbow Pride flag, social media sensations The Gay Beards were just two best friends learning to accept themselves and their sexuality.

Brian Delaurenti and Johnathan Dahl have been best friends since they met as 8-year-olds, and the duo, which now has over 250,000 Instagram followers as The Gay Beards, has been inseparable ever since.

"The best thing about Johnathan and I's friendship has to be our ability to understand each other," Delaurenti added. "Not many people out there have the luxury of knowing what it's like to have a twin sibling, but I feel like Johnathan and I come as close to that as possible without sharing identical DNA."

The Portland-based bearded buddies say they rely on humor, creativity and their strong bond in order to make their content.

"Something we both tend to admire about one another is our lack of being so serious in a world that can sometimes focus too much on the negative," Delaurenti shared. "That being said, we both have a strong desire to work towards creating a platform for those individuals who may feel isolated, unlovable or perhaps scared to live out their own dreams. These qualities have led us to become the goofy bearded men we are today."

Delaurenti also thinks their lasting friendship can be credited, in part, to sharing similar struggles while growing up gay, something they hope to be able to pass on to their younger viewers.

"One of the biggest issues plaguing youth in the LGBTQ community is the idea of feeling alone and misunderstood," he said. "The fear of rejection is so high, that having a friend who's been there themselves can make a world of a difference. I know it certainly did for Johnathan and I."

Get to know the guys, and their male celeb crushes, a little better by watching their latest video below.

h/t: NBC News