Country music star Maren Morris opened up about her experiences with the LGBTQ community and why she often gets very heated and passionate when defending them against hateful remarks.
The singer spoke to GLAAD media about her childhood and how issues regarding the LGBTQ community hit “closer to home” for her.
Last month after Brittany Aldean made a post that seemingly attacked trans people, Morris issued a stinging remark that went viral and has now led to a feud between the two women. The “The Middle” singer revealed in an interview that she does not regret responding in that manner and that there were far worse things she could have said at the time.
Read on to learn more.
Maren Morris Is Very Passionate About The LGBTQ Community
In Morris’ conversation with GLAAD media, she confirmed that she was always surrounded by many people who identified as members of the LGBTQ community due to her being a part of her hometown’s local theater community in Arlington, Texas. Morris also added that growing up, it was “instilled” in her that “we’re all the same” and that having such values helped her immensely and were very important.
She said (per People), “It was just always a conversation in our household that we’re all the same, and there is no ‘us and you.’ I think that being instilled in me from such an early age, particularly growing up in the south, was really important.”
Further on in the interview, Morris also hammered down on how necessary it is for her to defend trans people and shut down anti-LGBT rhetoric, saying, “What I really want to raise awareness of is when kids deal with bullying at school, but then they also deal with it from adults too! When does it end?”
She added (per People), “When you also have adults partaking in it too, out of their own prejudices or biases, or just misinformation, that’s when it’s like, ‘OK, we really need to have a talk as the human race.’ I definitely feel like it hits closer to home for me now, having a son — and I have gay family members!”
Maren Morris Might Not Attend The CMA’s Due To Britanny Aldean Feud
In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Morris shared that her chances of attending the upcoming CMA awards were low due to her intense online clash with Brittany.
“I don’t know if I feel [at] home there right now,” she told the publication on September 20. “So many people I love will be in that room, and maybe I’ll make a game-time decision and go. But as of right now, I don’t feel comfortable going.”
Morris is in line to sweep the Album of The Year when the award night comes, which for many might be a good reason to be at the event. However, the singer shared that she was at peace with her decision when asked if she felt sad about potentially skipping the event.
She added: “I think I was more sad going last year. Some nights are fun. Others I’m just crawling out of my skin. I’m not good at those events because I’m awkward. But this time, I kind of feel peaceful at the notion of not going.”
How The Feud Started
The feud between Morris and Brittany started last month following a series of controversial posts that involved the pair and “The Voice” alum Cassadee Pope.
At the time, Britney made an Instagram post of herself dabbing makeup on her face, which she captioned, “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.”
Pope then responded to Britney’s post on Twitter, calling her out for using the word “tomboy phase,” which actually has nothing to do with transitioning or trans people.
The “Think Of You” crooner said, “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.”
Morris then issued a follow-up comment that seemed to criticize Brittany, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
Why Maren Morris Lashed Out At Brittany Aldean
In her interview with The Los Angeles Times, Morris also shared that she has no regrets about issuing the scorn-heavy response and further explained why she did so.
“I hate feeling like I need to be the hall monitor of treating people like human beings in country music, “she told the Los Angeles Times. “But there’s a very insidious culture of people feeling very comfortable being transphobic and homophobic and racist, and that they can wrap it in a joke and no one will ever call them out for it.”
Morris also disclosed that there were many “worse things” she could have called Brittany besides the name “Insurrection Barbie” before further asserting her unfiltered view.
“Look, I’m not a victim in this, and neither is she,” Maren said. “But I don’t have feelings of kindness when it comes to humans being made fun of for questioning their identity, especially kids.”