CHELY WRIGHT AND LAUREN BLITZER

As one of the first major American country artists to come out gay publicly in 2010, Chely Wright was not free from the usual challenges and struggles of an LGBTQ community member. In fact, even though she knew at age eight that she was a lesbian, she hid it in fear of rejection and contempt, believing then that her sexual orientation was immoral to some degree. It was between 2004 and 2006 when she started coming out to her family and close friends.

In April 2011, Wright announced her engagement to Lauren Blitzer, an LGBT rights advocate. They got married shortly after the announcement.