Tennessee Blocks Bill Honoring TJ Osborne First Openly Gay Country Musician to Sign with a Major Country Music Label – mxdwn.com
Tennessee Republican representative Jeremy Faison blocked a measure that would see TJ Osborne, the first openly-gay country musician signed to a major country music label honored in his home state, as reported by Consequence.net. The bill had been passed through the Senate, but was blocked when Faison, who is head of the Republican Caucus in Tennessee had stopped it.
Faison has a long-standing history of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and blocking anything which he deems as ‘pro-LGBTQ+’, including stepping up to block a cyberbullying bill because too many queer youths were the victim of cyberbullying and tragically took their own lives. Faison’s argument was that the two were not in relation.
Osborne, who came out in a TIME Magazine interview of February this year, has reached out to Jeremy Faison on Twitter, stating in his tweet that he felt ‘hurt’ but would like to pick Faison’s brain over lunch. Jeremy Faison has accepted to meet both of the brothers for lunch.
TJ Osborne is one half of Brothers Osborne. His brother John is also in the band. The brothers were born in Maryland but grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. They played separately in different bands until they decided to form a band together. In 2011 they were signed to EMI Nashville, a subdivision of Capitol Records and Universal Music Group. In 2013 they released their debut single “Let’s Go There.”
TJ Osborne’s brother John is married to the musician Lucie Silvas.
Photo credit Boston Lynn Schultz.