Maren Morris Is Collabing With GLAAD On Another New T-Shirt After Brittany Aldean’s Transphobic Comments
Country singer Maren Morris has made headlines for speaking out for the LGBTQ+ community in the wake of transphobic comments made by Brittany Aldean and her husband, country music superstar Jason Aldean. In her latest show of support, Morris is teaming up with GLAAD to celebrate LGBTQ+ Spirit Day.
Maren Morris raised over $100,000 after Brittany Aldean made transphobic comments
In August 2022, Brittany Aldean made waves on social media after sharing a post on Instagram thanking her parents for not changing her gender as a child. Singer Cassadee Pope shared her honest thoughts about the situation on Twitter, and Maren Morris responded with her own assenting thoughts.
“It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human?” Morris tweeted. “Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
Aldean appeared on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight shortly thereafter and doubled down on her position. Carlson called Morris a “lunatic” whom he hoped would leave country music. Jason Aldean, meanwhile, agreed with his wife in her Instagram comments.
In response to Carlson’s comments, Morris created a new T-shirt in her merch store with her name and the words “Lunatic Country Music Person,” as well as the phone number for the Peer Support & Crisis Hotline for trans youth. Morris raised over $100,000 for the Trans Lifeline thanks to the shirt.
Maren Morris teamed up with GLAAD for LGBTQ+ Spirit Day
In September 2022, Morris announced that she was partnering with GLAAD to design a new T-shirt in honor of Spirit Day, taking place on October 20. The purple shirt bears the phrase “You Have a Seat at This Table” in the shape of a heart; proceeds from the merch will go to GLAAD.
Morris opened up in an interview with the organization about why the cause means so much to her. “My mom was really close to her uncle growing up, who sadly died in the early ’90s of AIDS. And so it was just always a conversation in our household that we’re all the same,” Morris said. “And there is no ‘us and you.’ So I think that being instilled in me from such an early age — particularly growing up in the South — was really important.”
She went on to discuss the issue of gender-affirming care for trans youth and how so many, like the Aldeans, are misinformed about it. “Sadly, there are a lot of people that believe things that are just completely untrue about trans youth and gender-affirming care and what it actually entails,” Morris said. “We talk about having these hard conversations and doing it with a loving heart. Yeah, I think at the core, you’re coming from a good place. But I don’t think that you can do this all the time with, like, sunshine and rainbows. I think you have to have the tough conversations so people understand what’s actually going on, and you could actually save someone’s life having the right information.”
She might skip the CMA Awards because of Jason and Brittany Aldean
Morris isn’t exactly popular in the world of country music after standing firm in her stance against two well-known figures in the genre. As a result, she feels uncomfortable attending the Country Music Association Awards on November 9 knowing that the Aldeans will be there, despite her album Humble Quest, released in March 2022, being nominated for Album of the Year.
“Honestly, I haven’t decided if I’m gonna go. I’m very honored that my record is nominated. But I don’t know if I feel [at] home there right now. 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,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “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.”
When reflecting on having to be the “hall monitor” of hate in country music, she admitted that “It’s exhausting” to advocate for “treating people like human beings in country music.”
“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,” she said honestly. “It just becomes normal for people to behave like that.”
