{"id":169673,"date":"2025-06-27T09:10:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T13:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/27\/how-queer-country-artists-are-rewriting-the-narrative-and-increasing-their-impact\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T09:10:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T13:10:34","slug":"how-queer-country-artists-are-rewriting-the-narrative-and-increasing-their-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/06\/27\/how-queer-country-artists-are-rewriting-the-narrative-and-increasing-their-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"How Queer Country Artists Are Rewriting the Narrative and Increasing Their\u00a0Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tWhen Ty Herndon<\/strong> wrapped his 10th and final Concert for Love and Acceptance on June\u00a02, he delivered his first hit, the 1995 release \u201cWhat Mattered Most,\u201d then broke into an a cappella version of the classic hymn \u201cHow Great Thou Art.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA gospel song isn\u2019t necessarily expected at an event celebrating the LGBTQ community, but Herndon grew up singing church music in Alabama, and he had reason to be thankful. When he gave the first Love and Acceptance show in 2015, Billy Gilman<\/strong> was the only other gay artist on the bill. The rest of the lineup consisted of straight artists offering their support as allies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the 2025 edition, the onstage contingent was much larger, and there were even more queer country artists in the audience. Over the 10-year run of Herndon\u2019s annual show, the volume of out-and-proud gay country artists has increased significantly, as has the ability for them to earn a living while telling their authentic story.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Emily,<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tMeet the Twin Execs Leading the \u2018Much Bigger Conversation\u2019 Around LGBTQ+ Inclusivity\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cI was a shell of a human,\u201d says queer artist Adam Mac<\/strong>, recalling life before he had publicly come out. He attended the first Love and Acceptance concert as a fan, and he found both the show and Herndon to be inspirational.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was masking all of the best parts of me, and it wasn\u2019t until I came out that I really blossomed and really found myself and found my voice,\u201d Mac says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just [a change in] style, it was the songs I was writing. Everything kind of shifted for me once that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHerndon understands. He came out in November 2014 after consulting with Chely Wright<\/strong>, who in 2010 became the first country hitmaker to publicly proclaim herself a lesbian.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI called her one day,\u201d Herndon remembers, \u201cand I said, \u2018You know, I\u2019ve been through too much and I\u2019ve worked too hard to get to where I\u2019m at to be quiet anymore.\u2019 I said, \u2018But I want to do it through music, and I want to do it through things that matter.\u2019 And she says, \u2018Well, that\u2019s the only way to do it.\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Pride Month continues, country music is one of the areas where coming out may have some of the greatest significance in contemporary America. The genre\u2019s fans skew conservative, but other artists have decided over the last decade that they \u2014 like Herndon \u2014 don\u2019t want to be quiet anymore. That includes Brooke Eden<\/strong>, Sam Williams<\/strong>, Chris Housman<\/strong>, Lily Rose<\/strong>, Kalie Shorr<\/strong>, Bryan Ruby<\/strong>, Julie Williams<\/strong>, The Kentucky Gentlemen<\/strong> and Brothers Osborne<\/strong>\u2019s TJ Osborne<\/strong>. And that\u2019s just scratching the surface.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Brooke<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tBrooke Eden at the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards held at The Beverly Hilton on March 27, 2025 in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristopher Polk<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tComing out can be a difficult undertaking \u2014 gay people dread the potential loss of friends and family, grow anxious over possible job loss, and fear for their safety. Those concerns are heightened for queer artists, particularly because the public reveal is mostly irreversible.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou can\u2019t go back,\u201d Housman says.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo far, the artists who\u2019ve taken the risk generally feel they made the right move.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI found a whole new demographic, a whole new audience of people that desperately needed to hear a country artist who was queer,\u201d Eden says. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not only the queer people, but it\u2019s the parents of the queer people and the family members and the best friends. It\u2019s the allies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe process of coming out is often misunderstood. It\u2019s not just a one-time action or something that occurs only within a short window of time. Even after gay people make the initial choice to be honest with others about their sexual orientation, they repeatedly make that decision throughout the rest of their lives. Each time they have a conversation with someone who doesn\u2019t know, they have to evaluate whether it\u2019s appropriate to clue the other person in: \u201cDo I tell them?\u201d \u201cIs it safe?\u201d \u201cWill mentioning it sidetrack the conversation?\u201d \u201cDo I care that much about this person that it\u2019s worth sharing?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"LadyLand\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHow LadyLand, the Scrappy Festival That Could, Is Shaping Queer Culture & Live Music In\u00a0NYC\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tIf they decide in that instance to stay hidden, they may later question whether they were dishonest for not sharing that information or feel guilty for not standing up on behalf of their community. It\u2019s a lot to carry.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd those who don\u2019t fit perceived stereotypes have to make those decisions on a regular basis since their outward appearance doesn\u2019t offer many clues.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s more of a coming-out-every-single-day kind of a thing,\u201d Eden says, \u201cbecause we could be hetero-presenting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGays who are trying to pass as heterosexual have to stay vigilant about their demeanor and their conversation, forced to make quick decisions and adjustments in real time about details that others barely recognize. It\u2019s compounded for closeted gay country artists because anything that might unmask them has consequences that can reverberate not just with one acquaintance, but an entire fan base. Osborne has said that prior to coming out, he was self-conscious about onstage movements that might be perceived as effeminate, and his concerns about that issue made him more reserved as a lead singer. The small words \u201che\u201d and \u201cshe\u201d could be large stumbling blocks in interviews.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was always telling very edited versions of my story and making sure that I was saying the correct pronouns, even though they were really the wrong pronouns,\u201d Eden recalls. \u201cI really did get stuck living in this double life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRunaway June<\/strong>\u2019s Natalie Stovall<\/strong>, who attended the Concert for Love and Acceptance as an ally, has seen the results when a gay creative co-wrote in a scenario where they were not comfortable to come out to one or more people in the room.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt felt like a confined space,\u201d she says. \u201cIt just felt like they weren\u2019t able to fully be who they were. And even within writing, it\u2019s so weird when you have to write music a certain way and you can\u2019t use the pronouns that you want to use to mean what you\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHow Runaway June Came to Introduce a Subtle, ‘New Kind’ of Sound With Its Latest\u00a0Single\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tThe music business \u2014 particularly the country <\/em>music business \u2014 has historically avoided gay artists or instructed them to remain in the closet. Shorr, for example, released \u201cMy Type,\u201d a song that embraces her interest in women, on May\u00a030, eight years after she wrote it. Her now-former management team discouraged her from performing it at that time.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was told if I wanted to release it, I should change the pronouns,\u201d she remembers. \u201cI was like, \u2018That totally changes the meaning of the song.\u2019 So I just sat on it, and now that I have a team that\u2019s fully supportive of me being queer, I was like, \u2018You know, it\u2019s time we\u2019re going to release it.\u2019 And it feels great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the volume of openly gay artists has increased in the country ranks, not all of them are officially out. Not everyone is ready to take the risk \u2014 some fear a large chunk of the country audience may reject them and prevent them from becoming a mainstream country act, while others may lack support in their professional team.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf you\u2019re at a place in your life where you have 10 [people seated] at the table and you don\u2019t know [how they may react], you never want any of them to leave,\u201d Herndon says. \u201cI think that for artists that aren\u2019t out, they\u2019re really aware of who\u2019s at their table.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"100<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tThe 100 Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems of All\u00a0Time\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tAlternately, some of the gay artists who are keeping their sexuality hidden from the public are simply drawing a line in their personal lives. It\u2019s not much different from George Strait<\/strong> revealing little about his home life or Chris Stapleton<\/strong> declining to provide his children\u2019s names to reporters.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPart of it is a power move for them,\u201d Shelly Fairchild <\/strong>says. \u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018You don\u2019t get to know this part of me. You don\u2019t get to hurt it. You don\u2019t get to attack it. It is precious. It is something that is not up for discussion.\u2019 Just like if you have children \u2014 you don\u2019t really see Shania Twain<\/strong>\u2019s kid, you know? It\u2019s because she\u2019s like, \u2018This is protected. You don\u2019t get to be mean to my beautiful love of my life.\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHerndon knows the negativity that comes with going public. During one meet-and-greet in the first year or two after he had come out, an angry fan stabbed the back of his hand with a pencil. Herndon still has a small scar that reminds him occasionally of that incident, though the country audience has proven itself to be far less hostile than country executives might have expected.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think [CMT\/SiriusXM personality] Cody Alan<\/strong>\u2019s coming out had such a great impact because he had such good existing relationships with artists on the charts like Dierks <\/strong>[Bentley<\/strong>] and Carrie<\/strong> [Underwood<\/strong>]and so many others who stepped forward immediately and supported him,\u201d says Herndon\u2019s manager, ZS\u00a0Strategies president Zeke Stokes<\/strong>, formerly GLAAD vp of programs. \u201cEvery one of these folks who\u2019s come out \u2014 it just gives others a little bit of a more of an open door.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Subscribe to\u00a0Billboard Country Update<\/a>, the industry\u2019s must-have source for news, charts, analysis and features.\u00a0Sign up for free delivery<\/a>\u00a0every week.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

\n\tAttitudes among the general population have changed dramatically as well, making the decision to come out less traumatic than it was in previous generations. A CNN poll published June\u00a01, the first day of Pride Month, found that 72% of respondents see diversity \u201cenriching American culture.\u201d Even the historically conservative country audience seems to reflect that viewpoint.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve seen some of the most conservative people you can imagine just come up to Ty and give him a hug and say, \u2018Thank you for being you,\u2019 or \u2018I love your music, man. The rest doesn\u2019t matter to me,\u2019\u00a0\u201d Stokes notes. \u201cCountry has a conservative reputation, but I think perhaps we don\u2019t give the fans as much credit as they deserve for being, first and foremost, good people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn fact, as country has become more popular, its fan base has become more diverse, allowing a number of gay artists to be out and make their living fully from music. It has been tough at radio \u2014 no openly gay artist has had a top\u00a010 airplay hit after<\/em> they have come out \u2014 but that hasn\u2019t prevented them from making connections with fans through streaming. The landscape seems to be in an upward transition for queer country acts, even if it\u2019s an uneasy period.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Chris<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tChris Housman <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFord Fairchild<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s certainly times that I can\u2019t help but wonder if my career would look a little bit different if I hadn\u2019t come out,\u201d Housman concedes. \u201cBut at the same time, I would eventually look back on that and see a lack of integrity and authenticity. And even the songs that I\u2019m writing, if I wasn\u2019t out, I\u2019d be writing the same stuff that everybody else is writing. So I kind of see it as an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tComplicating the situation, the current presidential administration has taken a number of steps that harm the LGBTQ community: banning transgender people from the military, erasing gay and transgender content from federal websites and removing protections against discrimination.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s risky to be yourself,\u201d Sam Williams says, \u201cbut, you know, it\u2019s worthwhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThus, many of the country artists who have come out are able to make a living while also making a statement to a segment of the population that needs to hear it the most.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWorld Pride was in Washington, D.C., this year, in front of the Capitol Building where the insurrection was,\u201d says Eden, who notes that she performed there for 70,000 people. \u201cTo be in a place where so many things are happening right now, where so much backward progress is happening in a world where they\u2019re trying to silence us again, trying to put us back in the closet again, in a world where trans youth and trans people in general are not safe, I think that it\u2019s really important to be visible and to let people know that they\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHerndon\u2019s Concert for Love and Acceptance is history for now, as he shifts some of his focus to other unannounced projects. But he also hopes that the next generation of gay country artists will carry the torch forward. In the meantime, that concert, and the decisions made by every country artist who has come out, have indeed made a difference over the last decade.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe feel the impact of it every time Ty walks out the door,\u201d Stokes says. \u201cInvariably, someone will come up to him at a show and say, \u2018You gave me the courage to come out,\u2019 or \u2018Your music gave me the courage to come out.\u2019 Or a mother or father will say, \u2018You know, seeing you come out helped me accept my son or daughter.\u2019 The butterfly effect of it all is just immeasurable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Ty Herndon wrapped his 10th and final Concert for Love and Acceptance on June\u00a02, he delivered his first hit, the 1995 release \u201cWhat Mattered Most,\u201d then broke into an a cappella version of the classic hymn \u201cHow Great Thou Art.\u201d A gospel song isn\u2019t necessarily expected at an event celebrating the LGBTQ community, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169673\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}