Country Singer Raises $100K For Trans Youth After Tucker Carlson Insult
September 6, 2022The country music star Maren Morris has raised more than $100,000 (approximately £87,000) for trans rights. It comes after Fox News host Tucker Carlson called her a “lunatic country music person” on his show.
Carlson made the comment in response to Morris' criticism of anti-trans remarks made last month by Brittany Aldean, the wife of country star Jason Aldean, as NBC News reports.
Brittany Aldean posted an Instagram video on August 23 doing her makeup along with a caption that stated, “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.”
Her husband responded in a comment on the post, writing, “Lmao!! I'm glad they didn’t too, cause you and I wouldn’t have worked out.”
Cassadee Pope, a singer-songwriter, criticized Brittany Aldean's comments on social media. “You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” Pope wrote in a tweet. “But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their 'tomboy phase' to someone wanting to transition. Real nice.”
Morris supported Pope's message, writing in a tweet, “It’s so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie.”
In a lengthy statement shared on her Instagram Stories, Brittany Aldean wrote that “advocating for the genital mutilation of children under the disguise of love and calling it ‘gender affirming care’ is one of the worst evils,” according to Billboard.
“Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly that they’re willing to make life-altering decisions for their children who aren’t old enough to fully comprehend the consequences of those actions,” Brittany said.
On September 1, The GreenRoom, Jason Aldean's public relations firm of 17 years, announced that it would be parting ways with the singer. Its statement did not mention that the decision was related to his wife's comments.
“Music has always been and remains The GreenRoom’s core focus, so we had to make the difficult decision after 17 years to step away from representing Jason,” co-owner Tyne Parrish said in a statement. “We aren’t the best people for the gig anymore, but will always be big fans of his music – he is one of the greatest live entertainers in country music.”
Brittany Aldean appeared on Carlson's show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, to defend her comments. It was during that segment that Carlson described Morris as a “lunatic country music person.”
On Friday, Morris shared a screenshot from the show on Twitter with the caption “#NewProfilePic."
She later shared a photo of a T-shirt with a link to her website. The T-shirt includes her name and “lunatic country music person” and then the phone number for Trans Lifeline, a peer-support and crisis hotline for transgender people. She said the proceeds for the shirt would be split between Trans Lifeline and the Transgender Media Program at GLAAD.
Two hours later, Morris said the shirt had raised $63,000 (£55,000), and on Saturday, she said the total had surpassed $100,000.
Both Trans Lifeline and GLAAD thanked Morris. “Maren, huge thanks for your support of a world where trans people have all that we need to survive and thrive,” Trans Lifeline said in a tweet.
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