“I would say just to encourage anyone else out there who’s dealing with the same thing … it’s a hard thing to describe, it’s a very difficult thing to go through. And I even had a lot of support around me. But once I finally came out … I didn’t really understand the magnitude of how much people cared about me, loved me and supported me. Honestly, had I known that the whole time, I would have done it probably a long time ago and saved myself a lot of strife. Anyone out there, if you’re dealing with that, there’s people that love you and people that support you. Lots of them. It has been a tsunami of love, almost to the point it was hard for me to even comprehend it for several days.”—Country singer TJ Osborne on the overwhelming encouragement and praise he’s received since coming out as gay last month. Osborne revealed his inner turmoil over the decision, as he feared being gay in the ultra-conservative world of country music would ruin his career.
Discover more
Those who came out to make a difference
