Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fans Overjoyed As Gay Country Star Kisses Boyfriend After Big Win At CMA Awards: 'Love Wins Tonight'

Fans Overjoyed As Gay Country Star Kisses Boyfriend After Big Win At CMA Awards: 'Love Wins Tonight'
John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA

The Country Music Association (CMA) Awards witnessed a milestone on November 10 when out country singer TJ Osborne shared a loving kiss with his boyfriend, Abi Ventura, after winning an award.

Back in February, Osborne—who with his brother John perform as the country duo Brothers Osborne—became the first mainstream country singer to publicly come out as gay in the prime of his career while signed to a major country music label.



His coming out was significant as a country artist where the genre is deeply rooted in conservatism and Christianity.

Wednesday's celebratory night in which the Brothers Osborne won for Vocal Duo of the Year was particularly made special since the CMAs marked Osborne's first public outing with his beau.



When accepting the award, Osborne told the audience:

"It's been a crazy roller coaster of a year for us in so many ways, especially for me emotionally."
"And to have you all support me, it really does feel like love wins tonight. Thank you."

The audience rose to their feet after his speech.

Social media users also gushed over the triumphant kiss shared between the two men.








As Osborne left the stage, his brother jumped in and told the audience to "Give this boy a round of applause," before adding:

"We love this genre, we love the people, we love all of you so much."

The ceremony included a performance of the duo's song, "Younger Me," in which Osborne wrote about his struggles coming to terms with his sexuality and learning to embrace it as a younger gay man.

"This is an important message that I wish I could tell my younger self," he told the Associated Press.






In May of this year, homophobic Republicans in Tennessee's House of Representatives blocked a measure that would have honored Osborne.

The Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 609 read:

"Though T.J. Osborne is not the first country music artist to come out as gay, he is the first and currently only openly gay artist signed to a major country music label.

The measure added:

"Though it may have been merely a consequence of being true to himself, he has nonetheless become a trailblazer and a symbol of hope for those country music artists and fans alike who may have become ostracized from a genre they hold dear."

Although Republican Representative Jeremy Faison—who is the chair of the state's House Republican Caucus—cited a "procedural objection," many believed the conservative lawmaker's reason for "effectively killing" the measure was because of his long history of supporting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation was the real reason for blocking the motion.

In an interview with TIME magazine, Osborne, who knew he was gay at a young age and had already been out to his family and close friends, said he didn't think coming out publicly would have gotten the firestorm attention in the media the way it has.

"I'm very comfortable being gay. I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don't have a problem with."
"That feels so strange."

More from News/lgbtq

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less