QUEER IN THE COUNTRY
Demographics
Just looking solely at demographics, where country music is most popular there are less identified LGBTQ+ people. Could these be a correlation, there simply aren’t as many gay folk interested in country music? Or is it that they do not identify because they are scared?
So what are we thinking?
Politics
According to the professor of country music history at Nashville’s Belmont University, “Male members of the country industry believe Trump is one of us” (Berstein, 2017). In 2003 when the Dixie Chicks said they were ashamed that Bush was from Texas, country fans revolted. Since the conservative side of the political spectrum is widely known to be anti-LGBT, may this contribute to the lack of country queers?
​
Click the image below to see country singer Ray Stevens discuss country music's conservatism.
Silence
Sure, plenty of popular country music artists have shown their support for the gay rights movement. Ty Herndon and Chely Wright noted many of their colleagues were accepting. Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Reba Macintyre, have all very publicly announced their support. However, these people are still straight. Where was the popularity for Steve Grand?
Moreover, according to Billboard, when the Bathroom Bill in North Carolina passed country music labels stayed silent. Does this silence communicate to artists that they’re is not support of the community?
​
Is there a self-fulfilling prophecy? Does the sentiment still remain that country music is for the straight, white people only and thus it remains straight and white? Do people cling on to their "traditional values" being represented in country music, and don't want this infringed upon?
Community
There are plenty of resources and artists paving the way in local communities.
Sam Gleaves, "You don’t get told about: “Well, there was a same sex couple and they lived in such and such area of the county and they lived there for a long time together and they farmed or they did this,” and, you don’t have that kind of history in stories that you get in your family where we’re from . . . that’s part of your birthright. The stories about your family and that you get in the music and the socializing, the visiting. You get that history in all these different places that makes you feel rooted there."
​
​
​
​
​
​
So what's the future? Trixie Mattel? Sam Gleaves?