Chely Wright Speaks on Death Threats, Reaction to Sexual Orientation

Chely Wright Speaks on Death Threats, Reaction to Sexual Orientation

Chely Wright came out as a gay country artist in May 2010.

But while some critics may believe that announcement was publicity-driven, Wright says the result has been anything but positive for her career.

"I haven't talked about the negative," Wright said this week. "You won't hear me bitching and moaning on my Facebook about the hate mail I've gotten. My life has been threatened. I get nasty letters every day, 'I'm through with you Chely Wright, you're going to hell.'"

Has Wright received support from fellow singers? Only from Mary Chapin Carpenter, at least in public.

"They wouldn't want their fans to know they were LGBT friendly," the singer says of private messages other stars have offered. "There are also artist friends who I never heard from again. There are a lot of other people in the industry that I had a friendly email relationship with, or would occasionally text with, that I have not heard a word from."

THG