June 28, 2021, Issue 762
Country Pride: Concerns Persist
On this date in 1969, arguably the first major protest for equal rights on behalf of gay people began in New York City’s Greenwich Village. As Pride Month winds down, Country Aircheck asks industry pros about the realities of being LGBTQIA+ in the country music industry. Despite wide cultural acceptance today, coming out in the business has been fraught for some and concerns persist – particularly for those in audience-facing roles, as the onlyrecent revelations of openly gay mainstream artists highlight. On balance, however, those we spoke with point to supportive bosses, co-workers and listeners while championing a format they hope is welcoming to all. National Radio Hall of Famer and former nationally syndicated The Blair Garner Show Blair Garner host Blair Garner and CMT After MidNite and CMT host Cody Alan came out publicly around the same time in 2017. For Garner, that meant getting past a traumatic 20-year old memory of being blackmailed shortly after starting After MidNite. “One of our employees threatened to go to USA Today and tell a story about a respected national Country radio personality who had just won an ACM Award Cody Alan and was, in fact, gay,” he says. “We ended up paying him off – a large sum of money – and it forced me to come out to those who had provided the venture capital to launch the company. I thought I was the Achilles heel that was going to bring down After MidNite. I had an executive tell me, ‘Don’t fuck this up, or my kid won’t be able to go to college.’ It was a very dark period in my life. “Going from that place to the point where I was out on-air, doing a national show with my husband, and being the first samesex couple to be nominated for both a CMA Award and an ACM Award in the broadcast industry – I wouldn’t have believed it to be possible in 1993,” he says. “The listeners have been nothing short of remarkable. People especially respond when Eric and
Boot Camp: Valory’s Justin Moore and Conner Smith open WIL/St. Louis’ Boots & Bourbon Concert Series. Pictured (back, l-r) are Ashley Calhoun and the station’s Kasey Washausen and Remy; (front, l-r) are Smith, the station’s Marty Brooks, Jesse Kijowski and Tommy Mattern, Moore and the label’s Adam Burnes. I post something about an anniversary or photos with the kids.” Husband/producer Eric Garner adds, “The most negative thing that happens is people unfollowing us. But we’ve been fortunate to never have anyone verbally or physically assaulting us. No one writes nasty things in our comments online. We’ve been lucky.” Alan came out to family, friends and industry peers first. “That helped me build a supportive foundation by the time I shared Eric Garner with the audience, which I did first on social media,” he says. “It gave me the chance to tell my story in my own words before taking it on-air.” He braced for the worst. “I knew there would be some hate, but I was pleasantly surprised by an overwhelming amount of love and support and very few negative reactions, which I choose to forget. (continued on page 7)
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