Melissa Etheridge's Coming Out Story: Far We've Come

0:00On May 1st, Melissa Etheridge was set to come out as a lesbian right after her breakthrough 1992 album Never Enough. She had this deep unspoken connection with her LGBTQ fans back then, even while staying in the closet publicly. Grunge was blowing up in the early 90s and Etheridge figured her flannel style fit right in, making it the perfect moment to go public. But a cover story in England's new musical express, through a wrench in her plans. The writer straight up changed all her pronouns, turning girlfriend talk into boyfriend references. Etheridge was horrified, especially since the gay community was still mostly underground and might think she was hiding or lying to them. These days, she's thriving with her 17th studio album Rise, dropped in March. She's out on tour, supporting it, hitting the factory in St. Louis this Friday, May 1st. Etheridge shared this story recently, reminding us how far we've come, while she keeps the music flowing strong. Music news today, powered by AI bringing you what's trending in sound.