Melissa Etheridge discussed her support for fellow LGBTQ+ musicians with Chris Wallace after publicly coming out.
“Sometimes, it was just comforting for someone to discuss their sexuality with me,” remarked Etheridge, 62, referring to other musicians confiding in her before publicly acknowledging their orientation.
During the recent episode of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” Etheridge revealed her conversations with LGBTQ+ musicians grappling with the decision to disclose their identity.
“Some of them, were basically just apologizing to me saying, ‘OK, you know I’m gay, but I can’t come out.’”
“And I’m like, I don’t have a judgment on your coming [out]. That’s a very personal thing, especially professionally, and I never did,” shared the Grammy winner.
“But sometimes it was just nice for someone to talk to them about it. And it just feels so much better to be who you are,” continued Etheridge. “And then the ones that did come out, you know, it was like, look, this is about your own personal health.”
The acclaimed singer and GLAAD awardee expressed her genuine concern for fellow musicians’ mental well-being. “You can’t prioritize album or movie sales over your personal health. Ultimately, it’s about how you can lead a fulfilling life.”
Etheridge, in conversation with Wallace, 76, disclosed that following the release of her hit track “I’m the Only One,” peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995, she publicly came out as a lesbian in 1993.
The track “Yes I Am” stirred anticipation within her management and inner circle. “I think everyone kind of held their breath a little bit. They believed in the album — but it was a rough ride there for a while,” confessed the singer.
The singer-songwriter garnered attention when she publicly came out at the Triangle Ball during President Bill Clinton’s inaugural celebration on January 20, 1993.
Etheridge is married to Linda Wallem, and they tied the knot in May 2014.
In March 2023, Etheridge recounted on SPIN and FIRE’s video series “Free Speech + Other Dirty Words” that, before the release of “Yes I Am,” she was asked in a meeting, “What are we going to do about the gay thing?”
“And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ I’m not going to pretend I’m something else,” she said. She also assured the label that she wasn’t going to “go off and find a guy to take pictures with and pretend like he’s my boyfriend.”
“I’m going to be me,” Etheridge said.
The “It Will Be Me” singer then said that she was told it was fine so long as she didn’t “flag-wave.”
“That was of course before we had a rainbow flag… but four years later I was flag-waving,” she said.