QUEER COUNTRY: In And Out: Reconsidering ‘Queer’ Country
“The word ‘gay’ doesn’t belong in front of country,” she said.
I gasped. And I’m still thinking about it two years later.
This wasn’t a microaggression from some clueless Music Row exec – it was a statement by out and proud Nashville-based country singer Lily Rose during a panel at Country Radio Seminar in 2024. Rose meant that an artist’s identity should not matter when it comes to people appreciating the music. I saw – and still – see erasure. In my mind, it is simply not possible to separate the art and the artist – not if you want something genuine, anyway.
