Ty Herndon overwhelmed by support after ‘coming out’

Gay country star Ty Herndon has been overwhelmed by the messages of support sent to him since he went public with his sexuality last week (ends23Nov14). The Living in a Moment hitmaker ‘came out’ during an interview with People magazine and admits the positive outpouring he received afterwards “blew his mind” and he now feels, “like the weight of the world’s been lifted off my shoulders.”
Herndon reveals he was nervous about returning to the stage at a gig in Illinois over the weekend (22-23Nov14), but he tells People.com, “They gave me a standing ovation and were just amazing and loving and kind… I got very emotional.”
However, the success of his first post-announcement gig did not calm his fears ahead of his charity performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, home of the iconic Grand Ole Opry on Monday (24Nov14).
He adds, “I was met at the back door of the Ryman with love and hugs from peers, from other artists, and affirmation and love by the Nashville community… My knees were shaking!… Walking out on the Grand Ole Opry stage as an open, free, happy, godly gay man is not something I thought I’d see in my lifetime… We knew that history was being made up there, and it was humbling.”
Herndon has also been seeking advice from Chely Wright, the first commercial country artist to publicly ‘come out’ as gay.
He says, “(She) told me to turn off my computer for a little while and bask in the positive end of this… There are, of course, a few haters out there, but as we say in the South – ‘Bless your heart. We’re gonna pray for ya!'”
Hours after Herndon made his announcement, fellow country star Billy Gilman also ‘came out’ as gay in a YouTube.com video.