Maren Morris is set to attend the CMA Awards in November following a spat with Brittany and Jason Aldean over gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Morris, 32, is nominated for album of the year for ‘Humble Quest’. She faces artists Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion and Lainey Wilson.
The country singer told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that she was “very honored” to be nominated, but did not feel “at home” at the awards ceremony. “Maybe I’ll make a decision at game time and go. But at the moment I don’t feel comfortable going.”
The “Make You Say” singer opened up about country music culture and how it affected her amid the feud with her and the Aldeans. “I hate feeling like I need to be the hall monitor to treat people like human beings in country music. It’s exhausting,” she said.
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“But there’s a very insidious culture of people who feel very comfortable being transphobic, homophobic and racist, and that they can make a joke of it and no one will ever call them out,” Morris said.
Morris made waves last month after publicly criticizing Brittany Aldean. The social media influencer posted a before and after makeup video of herself, captioned, “I would really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girl life.”
On Twitter, Morris wrote: “Is it so easy to, like, not be a human bastard? Sell your clips and zip them up, Barbie Insurrection.”
“I have no kind feelings when it comes to making fun of humans for questioning their identities, especially children,” Morris told the LA Times of the feud. “The whole ‘When they go low, we go high’ thing doesn’t work with these people. Not every resistance movement comes with kind words. And there’s a lot worse than I could have called it.”
Clapback for good:Maren Morris says she raised $100,000 for trans groups after Tucker Carlson called her ‘crazy’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson called Morris “crazy,” and she quickly changed his words to positive change.
The country star reported that she raised more than $100,000 for transgender support organizations from the sale of her latest shirt, emblazoned with the words “Maren Morris, lunatic country music person” along with the phone number of the Peer Support & Crisis Hotline for trans youth.
Proceeds from Morris’ shirt will be split between GLAAD’s transgender media program and Trans Lifeline.
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“Suicide rates are so high because of hateful (swearing) like that. I don’t care if it’s a joke,” Morris continued. “But they don’t want to talk about that part because it’s too real.”
She also noted that she never worried about losing fans because her social and political views have always been there.
“I sleep pretty well at night knowing people feel safer in my crowd,” Morris said.
The Trevor Project helps LGBTQ+ people struggling with suicidal thoughts at 866-488-7386 or by text at 678-678.
The National LGBT Help Center National Helpline can be reached at 1-888-843-4564.
Contributor: Dave Paulson, The Tennessean