Can Country Music Get Behind an Openly Gay Artist?

We've been hearing about it for weeks, if not months. A huge superstar is going to come out of the closet during the week of May 5, and all eyes should be fixated on People Magazine and TV's The View to see who the newest member of the LGBT club is.

Yesterday we got our answer, and while it's not an everyday household name, it could certainly make things interesting, especially in Nashville. The person? American Country Music (ACM) award-winning singer Chely Wright.

Wright has been on the country music scene since 1994, the year she won the Best New Artist award from the ACM. After a few years, she even scored a #1 country music hit, with the song "Single White Female." She even was the subject of some tabloid coverage when rumors started flying that she was romantically linked to Brad Paisley, the Brad Pitt/George Clooney/Matt Damon of country music. (And, coincidentally, the celebrity voice that woke me and my ex-partner up with a Target wake-up call during a "Day After Thanksgiving" shopping escapade in 2005.)

But now that Wright is out of the closet, she has no plans to give up her country music career. And though Wright isn't the first country music star out of the closet (that title, though up for debate, seems to belong to KD Lang), she is the first country music star that seems willing to challenge the Nashville convention that an openly gay singer couldn't have a future in the town. Will Wright succeed?

She just might, according to some LGBT activists. Moreover, she just might reach an audience far beyond the reach of many LGBT activists, namely conservative, red state America.

That's according to Mitchell Gold, who as founder of the LGBT group Faith in America has started to work closely with Wright as she's come out of the closet.

"Chely has made a commitment, like me, that not one more kid should go through what we went through," Gold said. "We often talk about having the right messengers deliver the messages of equality to various audiences. Well, now we have one — a shining star — that will touch an audience I dare say none of us could ever dream to. I think this is going to be significant."

Country music is one of the most successful genres of music in the U.S. today, and no doubt Chely's presence is going to break some glass ceilings. Gold is right that we've needed an openly gay country artist for quite some time to own some space in the industry, and try to change hearts and minds especially in some of the more conservative areas of the country.

But lest anyone think that country music is entirely uncharted territory, it would be good to remember that some strong champions for LGBT rights have emerged via the country music scene. There's Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, and Miley Cyrus, just to name a few. And if these mega-stars can support LGBT rights and maintain a following, what's to stop Chely Wright from thinking that there are country music fans out there who will support her now that she's openly gay?

Time will tell. Rumor has it that when KD Lang came out of the closet, country music stations booted her off the airwaves faster than you can say Chris Brown. But that was nearly two decades ago, and a lot has changed since then.

Either way, while Chely Wright isn't a Zac Efron or George Clooney or Kelly Clarkson or Beyonce in terms of name recognition, something tells me she might have just as much impact as an openly gay country music star than any of these folks. After all, it's not necessarily name recognition we need. It's someone who can change hearts and minds.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons