Cowboys are Frequently, Openly Connected to Each Other
How queer country music has been uncovered and reclaimed through community
by Lailah Williamspublished 02/04/2026
How queer country music has been uncovered and reclaimed through community
by Lailah Williamspublished 02/04/2026
Courtesy of Warner Records
As a Texan, country music has always been in my orbit. However, the relationship has been... complicated. The familiar chords, twangy voices, and heartfelt lyrics can meet anyone where they are, but the mainstream country world does not always reflect kindly on its origins.
The banjo, blues music, and traditional gospel flow through country music, harkening to the rich Black history of the genre. Stories of love in all forms defy and subvert traditional understandings of the human condition. How we exist in the world and how people love each other is a core and crucial aspect of country music. Queerness and gay love should not be left behind.
Trailblazing artists like Orville Peck and his body of music have built upon the legacy of queer artists before him and transformed the genre into a more identifiable listen for everyone.
In 2024, Peck released “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” with Willie Nelson, a cover of the original 1981 “gay cowboy song” that satirizes western attributes with gay subculture. The song, as well its accompanying album, Stampede, is an openly and unapologetically gay testament to why country music is so loved. Queer people in the South and Appalachia alike have grown up hearing stories on records that speak about the love they feel, even if it does not depict the love they experience. Peck’s album takes all of the elements that make country music special - the storytelling, the passion, and hard work - and expands the idea of whose story can be told. Queer love and romance does not have a singular look, and Stampede illuminates the beauty and complexity of heartbeat through this lens.
Reclaiming is a loaded verb. Can a genre be reclaimed if queer people in the industry have existed since the beginning? I believe so, yes. Reclamation does not negate the work and foundation of artists like Wilma Burgess, Tracy Champman, and Patrick Haggerty, but rather honors their legacy by continuing to fight for their visions of the future. Country is a culture and an identity. A culture that many felt did not want them. The times are finally catching up to the power of music and community, which is an ongoing, incomplete effort.
The banjo, blues music, and traditional gospel flow through country music, harkening to the rich Black history of the genre. Stories of love in all forms defy and subvert traditional understandings of the human condition. How we exist in the world and how people love each other is a core and crucial aspect of country music. Queerness and gay love should not be left behind.
Trailblazing artists like Orville Peck and his body of music have built upon the legacy of queer artists before him and transformed the genre into a more identifiable listen for everyone.
In 2024, Peck released “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” with Willie Nelson, a cover of the original 1981 “gay cowboy song” that satirizes western attributes with gay subculture. The song, as well its accompanying album, Stampede, is an openly and unapologetically gay testament to why country music is so loved. Queer people in the South and Appalachia alike have grown up hearing stories on records that speak about the love they feel, even if it does not depict the love they experience. Peck’s album takes all of the elements that make country music special - the storytelling, the passion, and hard work - and expands the idea of whose story can be told. Queer love and romance does not have a singular look, and Stampede illuminates the beauty and complexity of heartbeat through this lens.
Reclaiming is a loaded verb. Can a genre be reclaimed if queer people in the industry have existed since the beginning? I believe so, yes. Reclamation does not negate the work and foundation of artists like Wilma Burgess, Tracy Champman, and Patrick Haggerty, but rather honors their legacy by continuing to fight for their visions of the future. Country is a culture and an identity. A culture that many felt did not want them. The times are finally catching up to the power of music and community, which is an ongoing, incomplete effort.
Courtesy of Lailah Williams
I was transformed by Stampede, and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the listening party in a tiny record shop in Pittsburgh, PA where I spent the Summer studying at Carnegie Mellon University. I was the only attendee, meaning I got to sit with each song and truly soak in a special listening experience. I felt back at home in a way, hearing the genre-defying and soulful album take shape in front of me. Being raised in the suburbs of Dallas as a Black feminine-identifying person, I know all too well what it feels like to be out of place. To feel like you take up space in all the wrong ways.
I think that’s why I am so passionate about country music’s potential. I used to hate the genre because feeling like you do not belong is a gut-wrenching experience. I used to associate Southerness, country music, and long Texas highways with being stagnant. I felt like I couldn’t move, paralyzed by otherness and entrapped by hate. Years later, and many journeys of self-discovery later, I have done my own reclamation work. I am a proud, unashamed Texan. I have found a community with southern friends who view their personhood as intertwined with their small towns. Rather than hate, I listen to country music with reverence. My own history. My Louisiana roots gave the genre its soul. My Texan origins help me wear cowboy boots with pride (and for major style points), and my Black and queer identity shows me what’s next.
So thank you Orville Peck, for bringing me back to country music for good. I hope to bring more home next.
So thank you Orville Peck, for bringing me back to country music for good. I hope to bring more home next.