Broadcasting Out Loud :: Cody Alan's Story

His story is as fresh as can be. It's just over two months since he told his secret to the country world... and so far, as he says, "The response has been so incredibly positive." One more bright light is shining in that world, and based on the support he has received from fans and the stars that populate that sky, it shows all of us that even in some of the darkest corners in our world change can happen.

When did you first take your first steps into broadcasting?

It was very early on. I remember as a kid, loving television, radio and music and all the different aspects of it. My dad was a huge music fan and so I would listen to the radio and hear DJs tell the stories behind the songs, music and artists and I just kind of fell in love with the medium. Television as well, at one point I wanted to be a meteorologist and I remember drawing weather maps as a kid. I was a complete dork and would pretend I was on TV and giving my mom and dad weather reports. (Laughs) It was the same with radio; I would pretend I was a DJ in my room and I'd play music and talk about the songs and artists and I'd give away prizes, too. It was all pretend, but I did it until I was in my teens.

Then, I got a job at a local radio station when I was at fifteen and it was awesome. I started on air work then and have ever since.

The work you do gives you access to so many different ideas and people from different walks of life. I think it gives you a unique perspective on the world.

Completely. You learn along the way how people think, and how other people's lives work, and how similar we all are. The more I travel, the more I realize how similar we are, number one, and secondly, how different everyone is, too... and to celebrate those differences. We can't all be the same, and in the end that's a positive. Everyone has struggles, everyone has pain and challenges; they may look different, but it's part of the human condition we all face.

If you think your way is the only way and everything is black and white, I think that it's dangerous... and sort of ignorant. There is a much bigger picture, filled with different people and different ways of thinking. Turning that into a positive instead of a negative is something, hopefully, we'll all learn at some point.

The Internet has so completely changed the conversation process. It's great that everyone has a voice, but it's often to the exclusion of listening to other points of view. It's why telling our stories is still so important. As you
said, it illustrates our similarities and our differences.

I agree, and as I've shared my story I've discovered there is not only a degree of acceptance, both collectively and individually, there is a sense of taking a step forward in life and just progressing.

For me personally, it's so great to be a part of a community and to meet people who are similar in interest and who have had experiences like I've had. For me too, I just needed to be honest with people. I didn't really set
out to be an advocate or an activist; ultimately, I just wanted to get cool with myself, if you will. Then, because of being a public figure, it was about being honest with audiences.

Even though none of us necessarily intend to be an advocate, being out does go a long way towards advocating by default.

I think it was a good thing for me and, hopefully, good for others. I've heard from a lot of people over the last month and a half, folks who have shared on social media and through emails, their stories. If they felt I was a part of some good step forward, I've loved hearing from them and that it has made a positive difference.

It's such a different world now, compared to where we were, say when I was a kid in the '60s. We are integrated in society in ways that I couldn't have even imagined back then.

Absolutely. We have so much representation now. We have media personalities, heck, we're on Tylenol commercials. (Laughs) We're showing up in lots of places that we never have before and that's true of country music, as well. Who would have thought?

Beyond wanting to be honest, I did feel a bit of a calling to do this. I didn't want to live in the shadows. I've tried to be a good person and a man of integrity and when you want to live that way, having this thing that I covered up for so long, well, there is no way to live in peace. It's impossible to follow a life of honesty if you are not completely truthful and transparent, with something that is so integral as being gay was and is to me.

I interviewed Ty Herndon two years ago, and Chely Wright back in 2011, and it's amazing how much has changed in the country world, even in that short amount of time. Have you found that to be true in your experience?

Completely. It's been tremendous over the last few years, seeing people within the industry either come out and the changes in the willingness to accept that's happened with them. Even still, pushing that send button wasn't an easy thing. I had fear the moment I posted that message. Even though the industry and Nashville is pretty accepting, there was still an unknown with a great number of the people who listen to country and the greater audiences who watch and hear me.

I still had a fear about how they, the people I don't know would react. But, I have to say, in the couple of months since then, the response has been so incredibly positive. You can see that from those who commented or posted on social media, or the people who emailed and called. Literally, maybe 20 people had negative reactions, versus thousands of positive.

That's because of the progress we've made, and partially because in 2017 we're living in a different time than we were even five years ago. It helps, too, that people like Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith said nice things the moment I came out and Tweeted about it... as did others.

Understanding, wisdom and acceptance -- it's not always an easy thing to come by in this world.

Like I said, I felt a little bit of a calling to speak up, because I did feel like there might be kids out there in small towns and living down a dirt road, who are alone and feel a little different, be it gay or whatever else. I felt maybe if people knew who I was, that I could possibly affect them. Just to know that it's not weird to be a little different and that they are pretty normal.

It kind of goes back to that social media thing a little, too. It works both ways, as much as we want to be understood, it's just as important to understand those we might disagree with.

It gets lost in this web of judgement constantly, be it from someone's photo on Instagram, or Tweeting a smart-aleck remark, we often judge too quickly. We are all human and filled with emotions that we don't always understand, because we're complicated creatures. To have a little more love, patience and understanding for each other is just a much better way to live.