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Country singer Maren Morris says she may skip the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards because she feels "uncomfortable" after calling out the industry's transphobia.
Morris told The Los Angeles Times she still hasn't "decided if I’m gonna go" after calling out fellow country singer Jason Aldean’s wife Brittany Kerr Aldean for making a transphobic remark about gender-affirming care for transgender children.
\u201c.@MarenMorris: \u201cI don\u2019t feel comfortable going\u201d to the #CMAAwards.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know if I feel home there right now. So many people I love will be in that room, and maybe I\u2019ll make a game-time decision... But as of right now, I don\u2019t feel comfortable going.\u201d https://t.co/7dSF4ywKBq\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1663703483
Late last month, Brittany Kerr Aldean sparked outrage after she said she would "really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase." Her remarks proved so contentious her husband's longtime PR firm dropped him.
Morris says she feels like the odd woman out given the very public nature of the feud, saying she hates feeling like a "hall monitor" for championing basic human decency.
“I hate feeling like I need to be the hall monitor of treating people like human beings in country music. It’s exhausting."
"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."
"It just becomes normal for people to behave like that.”
Morris said anti-trans sentiment being disseminated through conservative media outlets as well as a culture of misinformation has created an environment where transgender people can't feel safe without facing threats to their very existence.
She added people then dig their heels in despite being challenged on the misinformation they spread themselves, noting a Boston hospital recently received a bomb threat from a conservative who objected to its transgender treatment program.
Morris said:
“It’s not, ‘Oh, this is bad, and this is good, and we can agree to disagree.’ No, we can’t, and you are being fed information that is false."
"And even though you’re not the one with the bullet in the gun, your words matter. Your disinformation matters."
"That hospital in Boston just had a bomb threat because people who listen to that rhetoric literally think they’re mutilating kids and don’t bother reading any sort of actual study on it.”
Despite her discomfort, Morris—whose album Humble Quest was nominated for a CMA Award—said she doesn't regret speaking out against Kerr Aldean's rhetoric.
“The whole ‘When they go low, we go high’ thing doesn’t work with these people. Any resistance movement is not done with kind words."
"And there’s a lot worse things I could’ve called her. I sleep pretty good at night knowing that people feel safer in my crowd.”
Many praised Morris for her conviction and commitment to being an ally for the transgender community.
\u201cSo proud of Maren!! \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Sabrina M (@Sabrina M) 1663735119
\u201cAs much as this breaks my heart, I completely understand why she feels this way. The fact that Maren faced so much hate and backlash (and honestly a lack of support from Nashville) because she stood up for the trans community, why would she want to be in that room?\u201d— THE COUNTRY WOMEN (@THE COUNTRY WOMEN) 1663706330
\u201c\u201cThe whole \u201cWhen they go low, we go high\u201d thing doesn\u2019t work with these people. Any resistance movement is not done with kind words.\u201d\n\nso much appreciation for @MarenMorris \n\nhttps://t.co/Bdzuby921A\u201d— Jeanna (pre-order Heretic!) Kadlec (@Jeanna (pre-order Heretic!) Kadlec) 1663721620
\u201cCountry star @MarenMorris has plenty to lose for being so outspoken in support of trans rights. I'm impressed by her fearlessness, but also by her thoughtfulness, about the divide in country music and why that's not a bad thing. https://t.co/xEk9RVtvJ3\u201d— Craig Marks (@Craig Marks) 1663705257
\u201cInstead of amplifying the hot messes of the world, check out this interview about someone who actually gives a damn and puts action behind it\u2026 https://t.co/SHcpryF3Rv\u201d— Rissi Palmer (@Rissi Palmer) 1663718963
\u201cHey @MarenMorris I love you so much. You are an absolute gem of a human and such an advocate for people \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— liz (@liz) 1663706198
\u201cWhat\u2019s sad about this, is the hate she\u2019s getting for actually being a strong willed, and decent human being. I love this woman. She doesn\u2019t feel the need to worry about how she\u2019s \u201cperceived.\u201d She stands for what\u2019s right. The real ones have your back, @MarenMorris \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— Brandon Austin (@Brandon Austin) 1663763228
\u201cGo, @MarenMorris, go! #TransRightsAreHumanRights https://t.co/0PmiNIIlux\u201d— Gayety (@Gayety) 1663185166
\u201ci am now a maren morris stan, no further questions\u201d— kat (@kat) 1663724615
Earlier this month, the Morris-Kerr Aldean feud attracted the attention of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, who referred to Morris as a “lunatic country music person.”
Morris chose to flip the script, announcing via her official Twitter account she would raise money by selling T-shirts with Carlson’s quote on the front alongside the Peer Support and Crisis Hotline for transgender youth and the GLAAD Transgender Media Program.
She later announced she'd successfully raised over $100,000 for transgender organizations over the Labor Day weekend.