By Ray Cardello for April 5, 2023, Season 17 / Post 20

The Country Music industry held its annual celebration on Sunday evening. The CMA showcased its 57th annual awards ceremony. I confess, I do not watch any of these narcissistic, self-indulgent, made-for-TV events. I choose not to elevate these people above who they are. They are gifted performers lucky enough to have been given their chance at success and fortune, and they grabbed it.

In addition to the typical individual and group awards, there were tributes to legends who are still with us or have unfortunately left us too soon. The careers of Leonard Skynard and Naomi Judd were celebrated. But then the show went off track, which is sad to write about.

The Country music industry has traditionally been conservative and patriotic. There were exceptions, like the Dixie Chicks and their assault on George Bush. That faux pas forced the group off the mainstream and restricted them to tours outside America. Kelsea Ballerini is one of the younger members of the Country Music family, so maybe she has not been coached on the heritage and connection between Country and Americana. Kelsea Ballerini embarrassed herself and the genre Sunday night.

Ballerini performed the song, “If You Go Down (I’m Going Down, Too),” backed by a quartet of “Drag Race” stars — Manila Luzon, Kennedy Davenport, Jan Sport, and Olivia Lux — dressed as glam midcentury housewives lounging on a lawn in front of a white picket fence. This performance was in bad taste on several counts. It did not have a place on the CMA.

Nashville is the home of Country Music, and we are all familiar with the recent tragedy that took the lives of six innocent souls at the hands of an unstable armed individual. The three children and three adults have recently been buried, and Nashville, and the country, are still feeling the pain. That shooting has a connection with the transgender community, as the female shooter openly identified as a male. Dancing and celebrating with a group of four transvestites or transgender performers was uncalled for and a poor decision.

The country is divided on the issue of transgender children. Some states have either passed or are in the process of designating themselves as sanctuary states. Not a sanctuary for illegals but for people who find themselves meeting resistance to fulfilling their transgender process. This harboring also protects children from their parents who do not want their minor children to modify their gender. In effect, these laws can facilitate the separation of children and their parents. Ballerini’s performance only fuels this divide.

Reaction to this performance shows how divided we are on the subject. Ballerini was blasted by those who saw the number as offensive. At the same time, she was praised by those who thought she was brave and heroic to follow through with the act. I see nothing brave or heroic. Those terms should be reserved for warriors, not for a singer surrounded by Drag Queens.

I hope this was a one-off for Country Music. I have been a fan of the genre for years, specifically for their patriotism and love of this country. I hope this performance does not indicate the genre is going in another direction. If so, I will be taking a different road.