Country singer Chely Wright tweets gay wedding photo
Sun. August 21, 2011 7:53 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
chely wright (right) and lauren blitzer
photo credit // twitter feed
The only openly gay country singer, Chely Wright, and her girlfriend, Lauren Blitzer, were married on Saturday.
On Sunday Wright tweeted a photo of herself and Blizter, both wearing Jose Dias-designed white gowns. Wright told People.com that they opted out of wearing veils because, "We like our hair too much."
The couple were married during a private ceremony at Blitzer's aunt's home in Connecticut, one of several states recognizing same-sex marriage. The couple, both from New York, announced their plans in April before the Empire State legalized same-sex marriage.
Wright, 40, first meet Blitzer, 30, a gay rights activist, in the spring of 2010, weeks after becoming the first country artist to publicly out herself as lesbian.
Her record sales began to suffer after coming out. She told the Los Angeles Times that being openly gay would likely hurt her career.
"They would rather you were a drug addict than be gay," she told the newspaper. "They will forgive you if you beat your wife, lose your kids to state, get six divorces, make a sex tape, get labeled as a tramp — any and all of it is better than being gay."
Since coming out, Wright has shared her story and the painful process of growing up in a small Kansas town knowing she is gay. At one point her journey led her to the point of contemplating suicide.
Last summer Wright released her memoir, "Like Me" that describes her painful coming out process, among other subjects.
Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with Shut Up and Drive. She also wrote Clay Walker's hit single I Can't Sleep.
Wright performed at Milwaukee PrideFest in June and served as Grand Marshal for Chicago's annual Pride Parade last summer.
On Sunday Wright tweeted a photo of herself and Blizter, both wearing Jose Dias-designed white gowns. Wright told People.com that they opted out of wearing veils because, "We like our hair too much."
The couple were married during a private ceremony at Blitzer's aunt's home in Connecticut, one of several states recognizing same-sex marriage. The couple, both from New York, announced their plans in April before the Empire State legalized same-sex marriage.
Wright, 40, first meet Blitzer, 30, a gay rights activist, in the spring of 2010, weeks after becoming the first country artist to publicly out herself as lesbian.
Her record sales began to suffer after coming out. She told the Los Angeles Times that being openly gay would likely hurt her career.
"They would rather you were a drug addict than be gay," she told the newspaper. "They will forgive you if you beat your wife, lose your kids to state, get six divorces, make a sex tape, get labeled as a tramp — any and all of it is better than being gay."
Since coming out, Wright has shared her story and the painful process of growing up in a small Kansas town knowing she is gay. At one point her journey led her to the point of contemplating suicide.
Last summer Wright released her memoir, "Like Me" that describes her painful coming out process, among other subjects.
Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with Shut Up and Drive. She also wrote Clay Walker's hit single I Can't Sleep.
Wright performed at Milwaukee PrideFest in June and served as Grand Marshal for Chicago's annual Pride Parade last summer.