Country singer Luke Combs has affirmed his support for LGBTQ+ kids.

In a recent interview with GQ about his rise to global superstardom, Combs spoke about his song “Whoever You Turn Out to Be,” which he wrote for his children (he recently welcomed a third son) to express that he will love them no matter what.

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His parents cut him off for being trans. He’ll graduate on time thanks to the kindness of strangers.

The reporter, Marissa R. Moss, wrote that she asked him if the song was also meant to resonate with the parents of queer kids. Combs, she said, “doesn’t hesitate” and makes clear “that was part of the design.”

“I am a firm believer that you don’t get to choose,” Combs told her. “You don’t get to choose who you want to be with, and I can’t imagine feeling the pressure a child would experience coming to terms with those things on their own. And then having the pressure of not knowing if your parents would be okay with that, or disown them?”

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The lyrics of the song include: Just because dusty boots/And camouflage are in your roots/Don’t mean you ever gotta wear ’em/If that ain’t you, I don’t care. Combs also declares, Now it might work out/That you don’t turn out/Anything like me/But I’ll love whoever you turn out to be.

LGBTQ+ support from a star as big as Combs is a big deal in the world of country, which is still riddled with homophobia and transphobia, so much so that in 2023, singer Maren Morris – who later came out as bisexual – announced she was leaving the genre because of it.

Combs’s expression of solidarity with the queer community is no surprise, considering his adoration of queer singer Tracy Chapman. Combs released a cover of Chapman’s hit “Fast Car” in 2023 and made the song the first solo composition by a Black woman to hit number one on the country charts. Combs and Chapman then performed the song together at the Grammy Awards.

“I imagine there’s a whole new generation of people that have gone back and listened to all her amazing records now,” he said. “I’m happy to be a launching pad for people to just rediscover how great she was and is, as a person and as an artist.”

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