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GLAAD supports Chely Wright's coming out
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One of the leading voices for gays and lesbians in the media is, not surprisingly, wholeheartedly backing country singer Chely Wright's decision to come out.The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation issued a statement praising Wright -- whose coming out was first snooped by The Dish Rag and who had been the subject of heavy speculation before giving an interview to People on Monday (May 3) -- and hopes her decision to go public about her sexuality will help break down barriers in country music.
"In coming out, Chely Wright offers country music fans a tremendous opportunity to better understand our community and the importance of conversations that move us toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality," GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios says in a statement.
"As more and more gay and lesbian people live their lives openly and honestly, acceptance and understanding of our community continues to grow. With her decision to come out, Chely Wright promises to be a compelling new voice in that discussion."
The organization also says Wright will appear at the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards on June 5.
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If Chely Wright appears at the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards on June 5 it seems to me that she will have moved from a position of clarification to one of activist.
If this is the case I predict Wright will be a speaker at the next HRC (Human Rights Campaign) dinner in Nashville.
As I wrote in Stacy's Music Row Report:
CHELY WRIGHT did not choose to make the first public declaration of her lesbianism on her own Website. As the announcement was timed to coincide with the May 4, 2010 release of Wright's new album (produced by RODNEY CROWELL) and autobiography, she didn't want to leave the opportunity for maximum exposure (no pun intended) to chance. (Crowell's memoir, btw, is slated for January, 2011 publication.)
My first awareness of Chely came when I received a letter from PORTER WAGONER inviting me (his former publicist) to an event at which he would be introducing his young protégé to the Music Row press corps.
There were a lot of ugly rumors coinciding with the invitation (and now I guess we know why Chely put up with them, just as she later did nothing to discourage gossip about a romantic relationship with then-unmarried duet partner BRAD PAISLEY). Wagoner had a predilection for bragging about all of his music industry conquests without regard to his marital status at the time. Depending on which names Porter dropped, the consensus of opinion was that Wagoner was being truthful at times and at other times not, so tongues wagged about why Wagoner would take such a public interest in a young woman who was not part of his own TV and/or stage show. (The Wagonmaster's primary interest was himself and his own music.)
The story was that Wright had a rich respect for, and appreciation of, traditional country music. So, whatever Grand Ole Opry management thought about Porter's giving Chely early entre to the Mother Church, it went along with the hype.
Wagoner's imprimatur got Wright on the charts, but Chely gets the credit for her subsequent, if limited, success as a solo and duet artist.
It's a shame that the Wright media blitz of the next few weeks will be based on something other than her music, since her music alone would not be enough to interest those who will be making money off of her coming out. Chely must surely realize that this reality cheapens her artistry, but who could be more aware of the reality of today's marketplace? After all, it was controversy that inspired The Bumper of My SUV and gimmickry that propelled Single White Female to hit status...
Stacy Harris
Publisher/Executive Editor
Stacy's Music Row Report
http://stacyharris.com
This is ridiculous. I don't care if she is gay or straight, but the timing of her announcement (years after her career started, the launch of a new album, the release of a book) makes me question her motives. Is she doing this for fame as http://www.weltbranding.com/blog/ suggests?
Chely Wright has earned my respect as a country music artist, and even more so now that she has come out of the closet. She doesn't have motives for doing it now. There is never a good time to reveal a subject of this nature. She was just tired of the hiding and lying.
I agree with Stacy Harris. Chely seems to be doing a lot of gay press for the first time, too.
Being part of the GLAAD Awards can only be a regarded as a statement, since Chely never was a part of it before.