Maren Morris says it’s necessary to use her platform to stand up against “normalized” hateful behavior within the country music community.
The star sat down for an interview with Apple Music Country’s Proud Radio with Hunter Kelly this week, in which she opened up about feeling like a minority among country music singers when it comes to pushing back against racist and anti-LGBTQ speech.
“I try to rise above — not even bad behavior, but just expected behavior that has become normalized that is bad,” the singer-songwriter shared, adding that she has discussed it with her husband, fellow artist Ryan Hurd. “He’s like, ‘I hate that you always feel like you have to be the hall monitor of modern country music’s behaviors in and around race and homophobia, transphobia.’”
She continued, “I don’t need to feel like I have to always be that person that speaks up. I think I come across a lot louder than I actually am because everyone else is so quiet.”
Last month, Morris and Cassadee Pope got into a heated online feud with Jason Aldean‘s wife Brittany after she posted a transphobic joke on Instagram. “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” she captioned a makeup video.
Doubling down a few days later, Brittany shared via statement via Instagram Stories her thoughts on transgender youth and their rights to gender-affirming care: “Advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender affirming care’ is one of the worst evils. I will always support my children and do what I can to protect their innocence,” she wrote. “The other day Memphis wanted to be a dinosaur and tomorrow Navy will want to be a cat. They’re children. Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions. Love is protecting your child until they are mature enough as an adult to make their own life decisions. Thankful my parents allowed me to go through my tom boy phase without changing my gender.”
In response to the transphobic comments, Pope wrote on Twitter, “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their ‘tomboy phase’ to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Morris replied to Pope’s tweet in agreement, writing, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
On Instagram, Morris continued to talk about Brittany Aldean with Pope: “You know, I’m glad she didn’t become a boy either because we really don’t need another a–hole dude in the world. Sucks when Karens try to hide their homophobia/transphobia behind their ‘protectiveness of the children.’ Weren’t they putting their kids in ‘Biden-is-a-pedo’ shirts on social media? Sounds like a real safe way to protect them from millions of eyes! F— all the way off to Insurrection Barbie and the fellow IB’s trolling this comment section with their hypocritical, hateful a–es.”
On Thursday (Sept. 29), Morris announced that she partnered with GLAAD to design a new T-shirt in honor of Spirit Day. “My mom was really close to her uncle growing up, who sadly died in the early ’90s of AIDS. And so it was just always a conversation in our household that we’re all the same,” she shared with the organization. “And there is no ‘us and you.’ So I think that being instilled in me from such an early age — particularly growing up in the South — was really important.”
The new purple shirt is emblazoned with the phrase “You Have a Seat at This Table” in the shape of a heart. Proceeds from the merch will be donated to GLAAD, and fans can wear the shirt on Spirit Day to show their support for LGBTQIA youth.
