Country music star TJ Osborne revealed in an interview with Time magazine on Wednesday that he is gay.
The 36-year-old lead singer of the Osborne Brothers, a duo who formed with his brother, John, said he feels “very comfortable being gay”, adding, however, “I’m being protected because I don’t want to talk about something that I personally don’t have no problem with. This is so weird. “
He feared that his departure would appear opportunistic or seeking attention, according to Time. “People are going to ask, ‘Why does this need to be talked about?’ and personally, I agree with that, “he said.” But for me, appearing at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping. It wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, cool! “
Someone in your career may feel reservations about coming out publicly because country music is often associated with conservatism. However, “the country is actually more complicated and more interesting than the dominant caricature would have. There has always been a kind of protest alongside sentimental patriotism,” wrote historian and writer Jon Meacham and country star Tim McGraw in an editorial. 2019 for Time.
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Even so, the country music industry punished stars for sharing more liberal beliefs. When the Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) criticized then President George W. Bush and the Iraq War in 2003, fans asked radio stations to boycott their music.
And most of the states known for creating country music stars are southern red states.
Osborne is not the first country star to declare himself gay, however, according to Time, he is the only openly gay artist signed to a major country label.
He told Time that he does not think he will be kicked off the stage in a place like Chicago, “but in a rural town that is playing at a county fair? I am curious to see how that will be. He also wondered if country music is not popular with many gays because they never had the opportunity to bond with it.
Osborne said he first went out to his brother and bandmate in his early twenties. “He was very open and sincere about it, and I was thrilled, because my brother was finally able to be completely honest with me about who he was,” John told Time. “How many times in life do we retain parts of ourselves and wish we didn’t?”
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Regarding his brother speaking out publicly, John said, “If I had to have all my money and success wiped out for my brother to be truly fulfilled in life, I wouldn’t even think about it. Not for a second.”
The brothers said they left subtle messages about inclusion in their previous work – for example, featuring gay and interracial couples in a video for “Stay a Little Longer” – and were not always well received.
The people’s negative and sometimes offensive reactions discouraged TJ, but he ended up deciding to take the job for himself and the men he dated. “Saying, ‘Hey, don’t hold my hand. Someone I know is here, so can you wait in the car?’ Precisely, they would feel unwanted by me, “he told Time.
Osborne hopes that his decision to come out opens up more creative possibilities. “I want to reach the peak of my career by being completely who I am,” he said. “I mean, I am who I am, but I’ve kept a part of me silent, and it’s been stifling.”