Country rock singer Aaron Lee Tasjan said eight concertgoers walked out during the July 12 performance of his satirical and transgender-inclusive song, “I Love America Better Than You,” at the 859 St. Joseph’s Church in Galveston, Texas. He said he appreciated those who left for “exercising their free will.”
“Towards the end of ‘I Love America Better Than You’ during my show, 8 people who were very clearly put off by the messages in the song got up and walked out of my show,” Tasjan wrote in a public Facebook post published on July 14.
Related
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Tasjan’s song ironically praises the nation’s “dirty laundry,” wealth disparity, guns, and insurrectionists. But the song also praises the nation’s “purple mountain tops,” “jazz, and soda pop.” Near the end of his tune, Tasjan hails the nation as a “land of immigrants” as well as “queer trans feminists.”
“In my song, I sing about all of us. It’s not criticism but illumination,” he wrote in his post. “It doesn’t point fingers, it states plainly what it is and leaves room for questions.”
“For artists, I think it’s very important to remember that our job is not simply to sell tickets and t-shirts and receive applause,” he continued. “To me, the main part of what we do is to create works that affect the listener.”
“I believe in the power of medicinal properties in songs,” he added. “Songs can serve the function of healing, reminding, and comforting, but most importantly, telling the truth…. But the reality of its complicated nature may leave you uncomfortable, bewildered, exhausted, or even angry. The truth asks more of us. It asks us to sit with discomfort. It asks us to expand our thinking. It creates a scenario in which we must look at ourselves.”
“So I appreciate all 8 of the folks who walked out of my concert for exercising their free will, and at the same time, I invite all of us to continue to reflect on our own values as the values of the individual paint a picture of the values of our country,” his Facebook post concluded. “The time to remain comfortable is gone. If we choose only to walk away from that which makes us uncomfortable, we subject ourselves to an imbittered stagnation or worse, a descent into fracture.”
Tasjan, who is 39-years-old, has released six studio albums. In 2022, his song “Diamond Studded Shoes” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song.
In a public July 26 Facebook post, he mentioned that the gay-owned right-wing outlet The Drudge Report also reported on the walkout.
“I highly recommend writing songs you believe in and singing them to anyone who will listen,” he wrote. “Some people may not like it. But some will. And in my experience, if you’re going to be appreciated for anything, it’s great when it’s for something you really believe in. That’s the kind of thing you can also be hated for by some, and you won’t even mind it if that happens.”
Tasjan is touring northern Europe this summer.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.