NEW YORK – GLAAD has announced its participation in the 2017 Concert for Love and Acceptance June 8 at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. The show champions LGBTQ rights and will benefit at-risk youth. Ty Herndon and CMT’s Cody Alan will host, and the event will feature Billy Gillman, Dana Goldberg, Kree Harrison, Lorrie Morgan, Michael Ray, Mickey Guyton, Runaway June, Ryan Kinder, Street Corner Symphony, Thompson Square, and Trent Harmon.
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“The music industry has the power to share stories that help change hearts and minds around the world,” said Zeke Stokes, Vice President of Programs at GLAAD. “GLAAD is honored to present the second Concert for Love and Acceptance in the music capital of the U.S. to help drive forward acceptance.”
The inaugural Concert for Love and Acceptance was held in 2015 to kick off GLAAD’s Southern Stories Tour with a lineup that included Billy Gilman, Chris Carmack, Crystal Gayle, Levi Hummon, and Meghan Linsey. GLAAD’s Southern Stories initiative tells the stories of LGBTQ people and their allies in the South to create a cultural shift towards LGBTQ acceptance and understanding in the region.
The concert follows a number of high profile LGBTQ moments in the country music community as of late. CMT host Cody Alan came out publicly in late 2016 in People Magazine with the help of GLAAD and received an outpouring of support and love from the country music community and his fans. Stars like Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and Dierks Bentley all voiced their support on social media. Ty Herndon, a Grammy nominated and Dove Award winning artist with album sales of more than 4 million, was the first major male country music star to come out, when he shared his story with the world in 2014.
Additionally, on May 17 at the Music Biz 2017 conference, GLAAD will present a panel exploring LGBTQ representation in the music business. It will feature Herndon and Alan, as well as Antigone Rising founder and guitarist Kristen Ellis-Henderson and Matt Yazge from Nielsen Music. The panel will be moderated by GLAAD’s Zeke Stokes.
The 2017 Concert for Love and Acceptance occurs during the legendary CMA Music Festival, running from June 8-11 in Nashville.
