Country Music Journalists Discuss The Genre's Slow Evolution On LGBTQ Issues

Country music, long known as a particularly conservative genre, is proving slow to evolve on the issue of accepting LGBTQ material and artists.

Take Little Big Town's ballad "Girl Crush." The song is currently sitting at the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, but it hasn't been without controversy. Back in March, The Washington Post reported some country stations were pulling the track from the airwaves after complaints from listeners who thought the song was about a lesbian relationship."

"First of all, 'Girl Crush' is not about anything other than ... wishing that you were the other girl who your significant other is now in love with. That was the biggest misconception about 'Girl Crush,'" Lynn said."

One of the most unexpected successes of country music this year has been gay singer Steve Grand's country pop viral video, "All-American Boy."

Without a record label deal, Grand maxed out his credit cards to film the video about falling for another "all-American boy," and the bet paid off. The video has become a ht on the internet, with over 850,000 views on YouTube, and surely a record deal to follow shortly."