US country singer comes out, immediately inspires another to do the same

Two popular US country singers have come out as gay.

Ty Herndon – best known for his 1995 country hit What Mattered Most – came out yesterday (November 20), saying that he has struggled to keep his sexuality secret from both the music industry and his fans.

“I’m a gay man, and I’m looking forward to living the rest of my life authentically and happy,” the 52-year-old told People, before going on to reveal that he has been with his partner, Matt, for six years.

In a twist to the story, Herndon’s announcement inspired fellow country singer Billy Gilman, 26, to come out as gay just hours later in a video posted to his YouTube channel.

Gilman, who has sold over 5 million records worldwide since releasing his first single at just 12-years-old, revealed that although he was “scared to death,” it was time to be open and honest with his fans about his sexuality.

“It’s taken me a good many weeks for me to figure out how to make this video, but today a fellow country artist and friend made it easier…” he says.

“It’s difficult for me to make this video, not because I’m ashamed of being a gay male artist or a gay artist or a gay person. It’s pretty silly to know that I’m ashamed of doing this knowing that because I’m in an genre and industry that is ashamed of me for being me.”

Watch Billy Gilman’s coming out video in full below:

[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N7MBAPZWms[/youtube]

Meanwhile, an adorable text conversation showing a 13-year-old boy coming out to his friend has gone viral online – find out more here.

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