Country rocker T.J. Osborne, of duo Brothers Osborne, came out as gay in a February 2021 interview with Time magazine, effectively making him one of the only openly gay artist signed to a major country music label.
Osborne said that the time he spent indoors ruminating in 2020 due to COVID-19 is how he came to the decision to make his sexuality known publicly, in the hopes that being with someone of the same gender might one day be safe for everyone and won’t be met with negativity.
Surprisingly, he was met with an onslaught of love and support, despite country music’s reputation for not exactly being the most LGBTQ friendly.
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Osborne also shared the news in a video posted to Instagram, telling his followers, “I know it’s going to help my relationship with my fans, my family and honestly it will help the relationship with myself.”
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The Brothers Osborne are not new to taking risks, of course.
The music video for their cross-over platinum hit “Stay a Little Longer” featured same gender and interracial couples, which are often not represented in their genre.
While the reception to the video was mostly positive, Osborne mentions there were people who were disparaging, called them f-slur lovers, and even sent them death threats.
In an interview with People, Osborne talked about his identity being central to his artistry as the song “21 Summer”, a fan favorite, was written about his first heartbreak and being unable to talk about it, a common experience amongst many LGBTQ+ people.
“It was so lonely and isolating,” he recalled. “It made me resent people. I was mad that no one knew why I was hurting. There are so many times I’ve sung that song and wanted to cry. People love that song, but the emotion of it is deeper than they even realize.”
And he talked about how awkward coming out to your loved ones can be and how there hardly ever seems to be the perfect time.
“When do you do it? When do you say it? For me, it was that moment of taking a leap of faith,” he said.
Osborne gives us pride because he stands on the legacy of openly gay artists who’ve contributed to country like Brandi Carlile, Orville Peck, Chely Wright, Billy Gilman, and Lil Nas X, and seems to prioritize having more LGBTQ people making country music and fans of it.
Queerty’s Entertainment Editor David Reddish caught up with Osborne to mark the occasion:
Scroll down for more pics from his Instagram page…
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Welcome to Queerty’s Pride50. We’re celebrating the members from our community who are responsible for some of the most inspiring and extraordinary moments for LGBTQ people over the last year. See all the honorees
Jim
I only care if a guy. is out if he’s willing to date me!!
GayEGO
My lifetime partner of 57 years, married 15 years, can attest to happiness living the American dream!
chappy51
He is a very sexy guy! I’d love to meet him as a fan!!
BoomerMyles
Don’t forget country superstar Ty Herndon who came out a couple years ago and re-recorded a few of his hits switching the lyric pronouns to the male gender.
Gay Thomas
Nashville and the country music industry here is very pro-gay now. The last decade has been a huge transition.