Chely Wright may be the first major openly gay untry mic star, but she's hardly the first one to the party
Contents:
- HERE ARE GAY COUNTRY SGERS WHO STOOD OUT LOUD AND PROUD
- 9 COUNTRY MIC ARTISTS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY
- QUEER COUNTRY: LBIAN AND GAY MASTREAM COUNTRY ARTISTS? (BOOK EXCERPT)
- COUNTRY MIC'S (NOT SO SECRET) GAY HISTORY
- COUNTRY MIC HAS NEVER BEEN MORE GAY
- CHELY WRIGHT COM OUT AS COUNTRY MIC’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SGER
HERE ARE GAY COUNTRY SGERS WHO STOOD OUT LOUD AND PROUD
Gay untry sgers are takg Nashville by storm, rvg out a space for LGBT love the rich history of the genre. * gay female country artist *
The chos even exprs acceptance of weed and homosexualy, topics that are unfortunately still taboo mastream untry, pecially when sung by a woman. After the wife of untry sger Jason Alan ma an ignorant post thankg her parents for not "forcg her" to be trans when she was a tomboy, other sgers, like Maren Morris, clapped back, sayg there's no room for homophobia and transphobia untry mic and that those clgg onto need to change or get out of the way. "But there's a very sid culture of people feelg very fortable beg transphobic and homophobic and racist, and that they n wrap a joke and no one will ever ll them out for .
Me out as gay 2021 and ntu to release hs wh his band. One of untry mic's greatt songwrers and producers is gay.
Their 1973 self-tled album is nsired the first known gay-themed untry mic album. When he me out as gay, and also revealed that when he had been sexually abed by an uncle, he was disowned om his fay.
9 COUNTRY MIC ARTISTS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY
Country mic has a lengthy reputatn for beg tensely homophobic. Gay untry sgers were, sadly, not warmly weled. Still, some stood out loud and proud. * gay female country artist *
Herndon is nsired by most to be the first mastream male untry artist to e out as gay when he did so 2014. The album explored the tersectn of beg gay and relig and her song "Lovg You" is a self-acceptance anthem about lovg who you love no matter Getty Imag.
And change is already the makg-- 2014, for example, Kacey Mgrav beme the first gay untry sger to take home the CMA Song of the Year award, for "Follow Your Arrow, " wrten by two LGBT songwrers. Country mic has a lengthy and not-so-proud reputatn for beg tensely homophobic.
QUEER COUNTRY: LBIAN AND GAY MASTREAM COUNTRY ARTISTS? (BOOK EXCERPT)
On Tuday, had been 24 hours sce the news leaked: Chely Wright is now the first openly gay performer untry mic. "It's been an tertg day for me," said Wright, 39, as she was about * gay female country artist *
Gay untry sgers were, sadly, not warmly weled. For stance, Patrick Haggerty, whose band lled Lavenr Country, released what is wily believed to be the first explicly gay rerd 1973, ultimately leadg the band to fa to obscury.
From gay untry stars sgg os about lovg who you want to untry artists enuragg listeners not to be aaid to embrace their genr inty, the genre – both s artists and s fans – has fally reached a place where acceptance is the new standard.
So, today, let’s take a look at some of the most celebrated gay untry sgers – om Grammy Award-wng stars Brandi Carlile and Lil Nas X to T.
COUNTRY MIC'S (NOT SO SECRET) GAY HISTORY
* gay female country artist *
Osborne, who is the first gay artist signed to a major untry label.
Brandi Carlile spent most of her childhood beg told that “to be gay was a one-way ticket to hell. ” She even had never met another gay person – until she watched Ellen DeGener’ historic 1997 “I’m gay” episo, which she rerd on a VHS tape so she uld watch repeatedly. It was then that Carlile me to terms wh the fact that she was gay.
However, thgs changed at the height of his reer when he me out as gay durg the last day of Pri Month 2019 through a seri of tweets and his song lled “c7osure. In 2014, the Nashville artist revealed to PEOPLE a part of himself he has kept secret for his entire reer: beg a “happy gay man. Herndon said that Anthony Robbs’ semar 2009 sparked the urage for him to e out, thkg how his story might help terrified gay youth.
COUNTRY MIC HAS NEVER BEEN MORE GAY
“There is somethg very gay about the imagery of , ” the sger said. Chely Wright beme one of the first untry sgers to e out as gay openly.
However, Oladokun was silently battlg si as she tried to rencile her fah wh the fact that she was gay, which she had been aware of at a young age. Osborne, one half of the popular untry mic duo Brothers Osborne, had known he was gay sce “before I even unrstood what was.
CHELY WRIGHT COM OUT AS COUNTRY MIC’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SGER
While he went through some hardships, like feelg very isolated his early days Nashville, he found the right moment to publicly e out as gay as the band’s reer picked up – and his announcement went off really well.
He has sce been nsired the pneerg gay untry mician. Haggerty knew he was gay om an early age.