46: Chris Housman: Finding Your Voice and Owning Your Story

Summary

---

LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast

Episode 46: Chris Housman: Finding Your Voice and Owning Your Story

Date: June 15, 2026
Host(s): Justin Yoder & Patrick Thompson
Guest: Chris Housman – Country singer, songwriter, and LGBTQ advocate

---

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates Pride Month by spotlighting Chris Housman, an openly gay country artist from rural Kansas whose authenticity and bold songwriting are breaking new ground for LGBTQ+ visibility in country music. Chris shares his journey from growing up closeted in a conservative, rural environment to becoming a “game-changer” in the genre with songs that unapologetically champion queer identity and inclusivity. The conversation dives into themes of personal courage, representation, breaking stereotypes, the healing power of both music and the outdoors, and the future of country music.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Growing Up Rural and Coming Out

• Small Town Roots:

  • Chris grew up outside Hanston, Kansas (population: ~200), on a family farm.
  • Rural, Christian, conservative culture—“about as rural as it gets” (07:29).

• First Experiences of Difference:

  • “I was the first openly gay or queer person I had ever even met.” (08:26)
  • Knew he was different from about age 6, but had no representation and minimal access to LGBTQ+ media.
  • Early exposure came via TV shows like The Real World and Will & Grace late at night.
  • Watching “Brokeback Mountain” at a friend’s house was a significant event:
    • “I knew I couldn’t bring that movie home, but that friend and her parents were super cool... so that was just a really significant moment for me.” (09:28)

• Coming Out Experience:

  • Came out at 18 after “being outed” by an email found on an old family computer passed to another family.
  • His older sister, “my rock,” made coming out possible:
    • “Even just one person that can be your rock is life-changing.” (16:16)

• The Power of Support:

  • “Having a supportive person in your life as a young queer person can help reduce the attempts at suicide or self-harm by 50%—just one person!” — Patrick Thompson (17:43)

---

2. Country Life & Outdoor Passions

• Farm Childhood:
  • “We lived outside. I have a twin brother…We also lived in a shelter belt with a wooded area and made a map of trees to climb.” (18:39)
  • Created “tree rating” systems, made hammocks from baling twine, raised cattle, and kept many pets.
  • “Diamond,” a cow he bottle-raised, is even tattooed on his chest. (21:18)
• Nature’s Ongoing Role:
  • “Now in my 30s, I’m trying to get back out [to the country] and have a farm again.” (20:39)

---

3. Navigating Small-Town Culture and Differences

• Internal & External Clashes:

  • Felt different, but mainly wanted to “see what else was out there, both because of my sexuality and for music.” (23:44)
  • Not everyone wants to leave—a nod to his brother who remains happily in Hanston as a coach and farmer (26:08).

• Gossip and Community:

  • “I needed to get out of there and be in a community…I do miss the country life…but I also love the community we have built in Dallas.” — Justin Yoder (27:11)

---

4. Finding Music, Voice & Authenticity

• Family Band Origins:

  • Inspired to play fiddle at age 7 after watching an older man named Tom at community jam sessions.
  • Family band (“my mom played banjo, dad played bass, twin played guitar, I played fiddle”) played local events and wild west shows. (30:05)

• Nashville and Hiding in Songwriting:

  • Moved to Nashville in 2008 for college and the music scene.
  • For years, avoided fully “coming out” in music spaces:
    • “Sometimes I’d say, ‘I like keeping songs universal’—using ‘you’ instead of pronouns.” (33:40)
  • The pandemic (2020) became a turning point—started songwriting from his own truth.

• Breakthrough with “Blue Neck”:

  • “Blue Neck” (2021) went viral on TikTok, debuted #1 on iTunes Country and broke genre barriers.
  • Lyrics reclaim the “red state, blue neck” identity:
    • “Just saying things like y’all means all…and things that seem pretty fundamental human rights to me, but in the country space are definitely considered taboo.” (38:27)
  • The big validation:
    • “No coincidence—once I wrote my truth and my story, my career finally changed and took off.” (34:45)

---

5. Breaking Barriers in Country Music

• On Building Inclusive Genres:

  • “The idea of a genre of music excluding people is so sad to me…Why limit your audience to just [rural folks]? I don’t care if you were born and raised in New York, I hope you can listen to my country ass song and find something good.” (45:19, 48:05)

• The Future Looks “Gayer, More Female, More Colorful”:

  • “Country music talks all the time about three chords and the truth…but then it’s always beer, fish, hunt, drink. There’s so many more truths to be told.” (45:19)
  • “I see the comment all the time: ‘I grew up on country but drifted away because I felt unwelcome.’ How the industry doesn’t see this massive untapped market, blows my mind.” (48:05)

• Representation:

  • “I can’t imagine how much, when I was watching CMT as a kid, if I would have seen someone like me on the TV—even just once.” (36:45)
  • “It takes just exposure and representation to make those [stereotypes] disappear.” (49:52)

---

6. Intersection of Community, Music, & Healing in Queer Life

• Power of Community:

  • “I see hope in community…we have every right to [the flag] just as much as the next person.” (62:20)
  • “Life is less ugly when there are people around you helping you stand.” — Patrick Thompson (64:03)

• Music and Nature as Healing:

  • “Nature and music have truly been the two most healing things for me—sometimes hand in hand simultaneously.” (57:18)
  • “Nature is my church now—it’s where I feel most with God, Source, Universe.” (59:15)
  • “Just getting out there and getting sunshine, listening to the birds, going on a walk…It could be so much easier than people think.” (60:45)

---

7. Messages for LGBTQ Folks in Rural America

• On Belonging:
  • “You’re never truly alone. Find your people…One of the hardest and most important things you can do is just be 100% yourself. The quicker you can get there, the better.” (70:39)
• On Pride:
  • “Pride is so important because so many of us know what it feels like to experience the other—the opposite of pride, the shame…So getting rid of anything that other people put on us and experiencing pride for ourselves. Until then, we absolutely have to keep celebrating Pride.” (68:10)
  • “Being queer is awesome and wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a yearly reminder—we’re good, we’re so much better off being exactly who we are.” (69:39)

---

8. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

“Even just one person that can be your rock is life-changing. Find those people to support you.”
— Chris Housman (16:16)

“The idea of a genre of music excluding people is so sad to me.”
— Chris Housman (48:05)

“I can’t imagine how much, when I was watching CMT as a kid, if I would have seen someone like me on TV—even just once.”
— Chris Housman (36:45)

“Nature is my church now—it’s the place I feel most with God, Source, Universe.”
— Chris Housman (59:15)

“If you build it, they will come…If you create it, your audience is going to show up.”
— Patrick Thompson (40:04)

“Pride is so important because so many of us know what it feels like to experience the other—the opposite of pride, the shame…and experiencing pride for ourselves…”
— Chris Housman (68:10)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Chris’s Upbringing & Coming Out: 07:29–17:43
• Outdoor Childhood Adventures: 18:39–22:41
• Culture Clash & Wanting ‘More’: 23:44–27:11
• Musical Journey & Songwriting: 28:50–34:45
• Breakout with “Blue Neck”: 34:45–38:27
• On the Future of Country Music: 45:19–49:52
• Music, Nature & Mental Health: 57:18–61:54
• Messages of Hope and Pride: 62:20–70:39

---

Bonus: Lightning Round Highlights

• Sunrise or Sunset? “Sunset—hopefully I’m still sleeping at sunrise.” (64:53)
• Cowboy Boots or Hiking Boots? “Cowboy boots.” (65:29)
• Favorite Country Artist? “Kacey Musgraves.” (65:51)
• Favorite Song You’ve Written? “Dirt On Me, the last single I put out.” (67:42)
• What word describes Pride? “Love.” (67:53)

---

Chris’s Message to LGBTQ Youth in Small Towns

“You’re never truly alone…One of the hardest and most important things you can do in your life is just be 100% yourself. The quicker you can get there, the better. I wasted a lot of years not being 100% myself—even after I came out. Once you experience it, there’s just no going back.”
(70:39)

---

Where to Find Chris Housman

• Upcoming Album: “Dodge City” (August 28, 2026)
• Latest Single: “Cowman” (for “the girls and the gays”)
• Social Media: @chrishousmanmusic (Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, Facebook)
• Website: chrishousman.com (“Housman” with no “e”)

---

Key Takeaway

Chris Housman’s journey is a testament to the importance of visibility, the healing power of connection (to both people and place), and the possibility—and necessity—of building inclusive communities in music, the outdoors, and beyond. “Y’all means all.” Country life, country music, and the outdoors belong to everyone.

---

Listen to the full interview for more on Chris's new projects, queer line-dancing in Dallas, and how exposure and empathy change lives.

Transcript

[Chris Housman]

Wait a second. We lost the plot here. We're on this beautiful planet together. It's literally like one human race, even stuff like that. I think really, though, what we can all do is just, like. I think just exposure. I think, unfortunately, a lot of people require exposure to walks of life different than their own to be able to understand something.

[Justin Yoder]

Every trail has a story, and when LGBTQ people gather in the outdoors, those stories become community, adventure, and belonging. I'm Justin Yoder, and this is the LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast. Hey, everyone. And Happy Pride. As we're continuing to celebrate Pride Month, things are busy and amazing, but we are glad that you're taking time to tune into another episode of the LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast. I'm Justin Yoder.

[Patrick Thompson]

And I'm Patrick Thompson.

[Justin Yoder]

And I. I'm always excited about our guest, but this one is very different than what we've had before on today's episode.

[Patrick Thompson]

It is a little bit of a departure from the norm, but I think y' all are gonna like it. It's. Yeah, Just stick around.

[Justin Yoder]

Stay tuned, stay tuned, stay tuned. Cool things that we gotta mention one, we have a partnership renewal that we want to talk about. Last year, we partnered with Brew Dr. Kombucha for Pride Month, and they did this amazing bottle, put our logo on it. It went out to, like, something like 500,000 people that picked it up in all 50 states, and our partnership was renewed. They liked us that much. They wanted to keep us around.

[Patrick Thompson]

Thanks, Prudenter.

[Justin Yoder]

Thanks, Brew Doctor. And they are such great people. So you can find Brew Doctor in a lot of grocery stores. If you aren't sure where to find it, go to their website, Brew Doctor Kombucha, and you can find out where to pick it up in your area. But go out, buy a Love Wins bottle, tag us in social media on it, LGBTQ Outdoors, and tag Brew Doctor in it. And we will try to repost all of your posts, and we would like to see it represented in the outdoors. So feel free to. To tag us. We would love that.

[Patrick Thompson]

And it's.

[Justin Yoder]

What else?

[Patrick Thompson]

It's super cool. Like, it's labeled that they do for Pride Month only. So it's got their love flavor, but they call it Love Wins during Pride Month. It's. It's exceptional. Like, it's really, really good. I'm not just saying that. I'm making no money neither, but as soon as we're done recording this, I'm gonna go grab one out of the fridge.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah. No. You know, a lot of people think of Kombucha as being very vinegary and a drink that's not all that great, but they do it right. They got this formula down, and it is. It's so good. So, yeah, pick some up, try it. We got a lot going on. I'm trying to think of everything that we need to cover, but really, we just want people to be having a great Pride Month, that they are being authentic and true to themselves, and that's really what today's guest is really about. So I think that we should jump in with our guest. Chris Housman is a country singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and proud advocate for the LGBTQ visibility and country music. Raised on a farm outside of a small town of Hanston, Kansas, Chris grew up immersed in rural life, family values, and country music traditions. His critically acclaimed debut album, Blue Neck earned national attention for its odyssey telling an unapologetic celebration of queer identity in country culture. The title track debuted at number one on the iTune country charts, reached number four across all genres on itunes, and helped the album surpass 7 million streams. Praised by Billboard for giving the voice to outcast in the genre, recognized by Rolling Stone for its authentic storytelling, and dubbed a game changer for country music by USA Today, Chris has helped create more inclusive future for the genre through his music and the message that y' all means all, he continues to build community, inspire authenticity, and proves that country music and country life belongs to everyone. Welcome to the podcast, Chris.

[Chris Housman]

Hey, thanks for having me. Good to be here.

[Justin Yoder]

Absolutely. I know we've been chatting for quite a while about doing this, and I'm glad the stars finally aligned and we're able to have this conversation. Right?

[Chris Housman]

We're making it happen. We did it.

[Patrick Thompson]

We did.

[Justin Yoder]

I mean, what better time, though, really, too Pride Month. So that's great. And we just missed each other in Dallas, too, which I was really bummed about, but excited that Pride Month is here and we get to share kind of your story with our listeners and. And connect with you because I, Patrick, and I have been a fan for a while and loved your music. And so when you reached out for when we were looking for podcast guests, I was like, hell, yes, we want.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, I know. I think I even saw that and was just like, I'll do it if, you know, I was like, I don't know if I'm, like, an expert enough or anything, but I'll happily do it. I love the outdoors and I love what y' all do, so I'm. I'm excited. Yeah. The stars did not align for Dallas this time, but they will next, so.

[Patrick Thompson]

Heck, yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, that'd be great.

[Patrick Thompson]

We have that recorded, so.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, perfect. Hold me to it.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, perfect. Well, I. I know as somebody that grew up country like you, and actually next door neighbors, you grew up in Kansas, I grew up in Missouri. Country boys, born and raised, basically. So I think that we have kind of a lot in common, and I know a little bit about your story, but I think for. For a lot of our listeners, there are a lot that listen from rural places all across the country. And actually, I think that's one of the reasons why I hang on to our podcast so tightly. Because, yes, it's a great educational resource for a lot of our community as far as encourage them to get outdoors and how to on certain topics and stuff like that. But we get a lot of emails from people who are just like, hey, I live in a rural area. I'm not out. I don't think I can ever come out. But I'm living vicariously through your podcast, and that impacts me a lot because I could have very easily seen me staying in the closet my whole life. And I think a lot of people could have that experience and do have that experience, even though we're in 2026. Really hope that people can find the freedom and to be able to accept themselves and be able to step out and fully who they are. But when I started hearing your story, I was like, man, Chris just launched himself out there.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, sure did.

[Justin Yoder]

You grew up in a tiny town. People think I grew up in a tiny town of less than 1500. You were less than what, 300?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, 200. Yeah, if you count the cats and dogs. But yeah, in southwest Kansas, very. I mean, about as rural as it gets and, you know, country and all the things Christian, white, all just very, very country. And then I was on a farm five miles south of that town. So very small.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, I was about three miles outside of the closest town of 1500, which now seems like a metroplex compared to where you grew up, but.

[Chris Housman]

Right. Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

But I would love to lay kind of the foundation for our listeners of kind of your upbringing. What that was like. You're coming out and then we'll roll into kind of music, too. And how that became a big passion for yours because it's such a cool story how you kind of paved the way. Family.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, I mean, it really, you know, like I said, very rural, very country. I was born, you know, born and raised there, really. Born in Dodge City, Kansas, which is about 30 minutes away. That was the Nearest Walmart, I say as nearest kind of point of civilization, but even that is, you know, 30,000 some people, but that's also. They deem themselves the cowboy capital of the world, ironically. Doing country music now, but. But yeah. So born and raised on that farm outside the town Hanston, Kansas. Just a bunch of small towns out there and just a bunch of farming. Everybody's either farmers or teachers for the schools. I mean, my town, we didn't have a stoplight. We didn't have a gas station. We had one bar and grill and the co op and a bank and a school that got shut down after my sophomore year because we were too small. So. So really just kind of laying that foundation of their unit. They're like. Needless to say, I was. When I came out, when I was 18, I was the first openly gay or queer person I had ever even met. I don't. I don't even know, you know, where that strength came from. Now. I kind of shocked at that, but at the same time, I knew, you know, I remember knowing or having the first thoughts that, that I was different in some way when I was like 6 years old. So I think fortunately, you know, I'm a millennial and kind of in the middle or upper of the millennials. So in that generation where we knew life before the Internet, but also had a little bit of Internet. And I mean that like, I mean, as weird as it may sound or. But just having like, a little bit of access to really, really slow Internet and like, you know, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, that and like a little bit of tv. Seeing stuff like the Real World or like, if I was feeling really risky and would watch, like, Willing Grace at midnight or something, just those little bits of exposure just kind of like, validated me in some way. But I mean, otherwise it was just kind of. You had to find it in yourself. And I slowly just started coming out to a couple friends that I knew I could trust. And guy. I remember my, let's see, freshman year in high school that Brokeback Mountain came out. It had already come out, but when it came out on dvd, I was actually on a school trip, and we stopped at like a. Like a entertainment store on the way back, and I sneakily bought the DVD for Brokeback Mountain, but I sent it home with a friend of mine, this, like, girlfriend of mine, and. And then like a week later, I went over to her house so I could watch it with her and her parents. I'm, like, about to. About to tear up even just talking about that, but because I knew I couldn't bring that movie home, but that like, friend and her parents were super cool and they had moved from Colorado, so they're kind of transplants and a little more open minded and stuff. So. Yeah, I watched it at a friend's house for. I don't know, that was just a really significant moment for me. But. Sorry, I kind of got off there. But yeah, very small town. Very first person in my town to like, you know, come out or I think my county really. But yeah, it's kind of wouldn't change a thing. It was a great place to grow up. I never felt unsafe or unloved. Granted, I also came out, I guess to dove in that a little bit more. I had graduated high school. I mean, I was the homecoming king. I was really good player on the football team, captain of the football team, played all the sports and. Which is another good thing I loved about growing up in such a small town is that you could kind of do everything. You could be the football player, but also the choir, choir boy or whatever you had. Everybody had to do all the things.

[Justin Yoder]

So everybody had to step up and play their part.

[Chris Housman]

Exactly, yeah. Or you don't have a football team or you don't have a choir and. Yeah. So. But then, so I graduated high school, knew I got an academic scholarship to Belmont here in Nashville. And I, you know, it's kind of like I did it. I like graduated. Only the people I came out to know. Like my, my cover wasn't totally blown and I'm about to like pack up and leave and then like kind of got outed from an email that one family sold their family computer to another family and in my town and they somehow. That email. There was an email saved on a desktop. It's crazy. But then it starts spreading like wildfire the summer between high school and college. So. So I, I basically came out to my parents June 20, 2008, and. Because I wanted them to hear it from me, not from a rumor. And. Yeah, so that was my real like coming out. But happy pride, you write Happy pride.

[Patrick Thompson]

What's interesting is that the origin story for Mike coming out is centered around an email that was found on a computer as well.

[Chris Housman]

No way.

[Patrick Thompson]

Yeah. So having flashbacks right now. Thank you, Chris.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Was yours also. Was yours also a Hotmail account or.

[Patrick Thompson]

It was Juno, actually.

[Chris Housman]

Oh, okay. Okay. Wow. That's crazy.

[Patrick Thompson]

Before the days of Hotmail.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Wow.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Just me now.

[Chris Housman]

What a thing to have in common.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, right.

[Patrick Thompson]

Email.

[Justin Yoder]

So.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[Justin Yoder]

You got to. You guys got to learn how to cover your tracks better.

[Chris Housman]

I know, right? Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Oh.

[Justin Yoder]

So how old were you when you came out? And you mentioned that you had not even met another openly gay person before coming out. So, one, like, how old were you? And two, you know, I know that you mentioned, like, that you wanted to be sure that your parents heard it from you first, but where do you think you got the strength to do that? Because that is not an easy thing to do, especially growing up in a small, rural. Rural town in West Texas or West Kansas.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I was 18 when I did that. And. And I think, honestly, even it helped a lot that I had kind of come to terms with it for really, when I was like. I think I told a friend for the first time that I thought I might be bi or gay when I was 12, and. But then I came out to one of my sisters when I was 15, who. She is just. And she, I would say, is the main reason that I was able to find the strength to do that, because she's always been my rock. She was excited when I came out to her, but she's. She's also, like, 10 years older than me. Her and I were always kind of the black sheep in our. So we. There are five of us kids, so family of seven. I was the youngest, but her and I were always kind of like the different ones. And. Yeah. So I just knew that she would be cool with it, and she was. And she. She helped me kind of come up with a game plan. She gave me a deadline or, you know, when she's had to do hard stuff like that, has set herself a deadline. And then, of course, I waited until the very last second, of course, and then another hour, but. And she even kind of helped me. You know, I kind of had a whole script that I remember so well. I just, you know, my parents happen to be sitting down, just, like, smoking cigarettes, and I was, like, just chatting with them, and then I was like, hey, mom and dad actually want to talk to you about something. And I reminded them. I was like, you know how you've said, like, you love me no matter what, right? And they're like, yeah. And I was like, okay, cool. I just want to remind you that as I tell you this and, you know, just want you to know, hear from me that I'm gay. And they didn't. They literally didn't believe me. My mom was like, oh. She kind of, like, chuckled, and she was like, no, you're just. Boys go through this phase. You're just Going through it a little later than usual. If this is, if it's a phase, it's been going on for a long time. But, but, but yeah, I mean, so really, you know, for that. For me it was like my sister, that was the like rock that I was leaning on and a couple really good friends. But that's the thing. I mean, even just one person that can be your rock is like life changing and just finding those people to support you like that.

[Patrick Thompson]

It's very, very true. Like one person can make such a massive difference. I was reading it today actually, that having a supportive person in your life as a young queer person can help reduce the attempts at suicide or self harm by 50%. Yeah, 50%.

[Chris Housman]

God. By one person, just one man. I, I believe it.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah. Jumping back to your growing up on the farm, totally different culture. What were some of the things that you really enjoyed about the country life? And were there any like outdoor activities that you liked that. I feel kind of like all of us that grew up in the country, like the outdoors to some, some degree, some level. Yeah. But I'm curious about what that looked like for you as a kid growing up and, and any passions that you had that involved the outdoors specifically.

[Chris Housman]

Totally. I mean we lived outside. I have a twin brother as well who's not gay, but. But we just like lived outside. We also lived in like a shelter belt. So it kind of had like a wooded area behind and in front of our house and our farm. And I mean I remember making like a, A map. We had made a map of all the like trees that we had climbed and would like rate each one on a scale like, of like 1 to 5. Like trees, stars on like how climbable, like how fun they were to climb. Was it like dangerous? You know, would, would you recommend climbing it again?

[Patrick Thompson]

I feel like this could be a

[Justin Yoder]

whole app, like the new all. All trails or something. Here, please. That you can try. All trees.

[Chris Housman]

All trees, yeah. Oh yeah. That'd be awesome. Right? Yeah, I mean I would still, I would, I would probably look into that. I would download that app. But that was a big. Yeah, just, I mean, you know, and out there, as I'm sure you experienced too, like you just can be outside and use your imagination and just find, you know, make up things like that to do and then you've got a several month activity. I mean, I remember making like hammocks out of like baling twine a lot. I got really into that then. I mean, I had no idea what I was doing. But then I Was kind of getting better at making, like, oh, this one's actually kind of more comfortable. And then my mom would kind of. I don't know, she's like, oh, if you would, like, braid these, it would make it even more comfortable and stuff like that. Or even just jumping on the trampoline. Of course, back then, I hate. We hated doing, like, farm chores because those were chores. So admittedly, I was not much into the farm aspect as a kid because that was like, oh, man. Like, I want.

[Justin Yoder]

You know, that was work.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, exactly. That's work. And now. Now in my 30s, I'm, like, trying to get back out in the middle of nowhere and have a farm. But. But. But I, you know, deep down, loved. There's some part of that that I love, too. I mean, we also had cattle and a few horses, goats, a lot of dogs and cats. I actually had a pet cow that I raised from a bottle that. I mean, pet, you know, she was one of the. The herd, but she just died of old age, actually. I know people listening won't be able to see this, but I've got a tattoo of her on my chest.

[Justin Yoder]

She was.

[Chris Housman]

Her name was Diamond. She was so tame. I could just sit on her back and she just would chill and stand there and. Yeah, even as, like, in my 20s, I could just, like, sit on her back and she would just. She looked like. Loved being pet. And. Yeah, diamond was, like, my first favorite. Maybe still my favorite pet. Just don't tell my dog Frank that now.

[Justin Yoder]

Hopefully he's not listening close by.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, no, he's inside.

[Justin Yoder]

That's funny.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. I mean, and then between that stuff and, like, you know, sports and there. There really wasn't. Well, it's funny because I also remember loving fishing when I was really little, up until I was, like, probably six or seven then, you know, I remember asking my parents, like, oh, why is. Why can't we go fishing? And like, oh, it's really. It's really dry this year. Like, all the creeks are dried up. And then, oh, it's a really dry year again. It's really dry. And it was just dry every year after that. And there were never any fish. And. But meanwhile, my parents are, like, don't believe in global warming and stuff.

[Justin Yoder]

But that's funny how that works, right? Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. So there was no more fishing after, like, six years old. But I loved it up until then.

[Justin Yoder]

All right. Yeah, I loved fishing, too. Like, that was probably my favorite thing growing up on the farm. But we had, like, ponds on our. So we Weren't relying just on creek. Yeah, it was a good time.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

So super small town. And I'm comparing that just because I've been to Justin small town where he grew up. I'm imagining that it gets more reserved and more pious and proper the smaller we get. As you were coming out and still living there, how do you sort of manage the. Was there a clash of cultures? Um, or at least internally, generally, you know, on the surface, these things don't go well together. Right. Yeah, if we're laying into stereotypes. So how did you kind of approach that dissonance?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, I. It did feel like a clash, but I just didn't even really know in what ways because I hadn't experienced anything else, but I just knew that I was different. Even in elementary school, like first grade, I remember having a crush on a boy. I would. So I think I just really spent the next, you know, 12ish years kind of busting my butt because I knew there was more out there and I wanted to set myself up in a way to experience, to see what else was out there. Both, you know, because of my sexuality and because of, like, pursuing music and just pursuing life. But I had just seen so many people before me and. And this is no shade whatsoever, but, you know, especially farming families, you know, you go to the community college an hour away, you get your degree in PE or teaching and you move back and help on the farm and you are a teacher or, you know, whatever, you know, construction job or job at the feed yard or something like that. And. And I just knew that was not for me. And so that. That was a lot of the. I guess clashing kind of was just feeling like, okay, this is not for me. I love it. For now, I have no idea what else is out there, but I can't wait to find out, I guess. So it didn't feel too. I never really felt like it was like, personal, like that personally clashed with me, you know, fit in really well and loved everybody and. But yeah, definitely was pumped to get out.

[Patrick Thompson]

Nice. And Justin will talk about, you know, the gratitude that he has that he was able to, quote, unquote, get out of the small town. But I like the way that you phrase that because I feel like it's really honest, like you don't know what's out there. You didn't say, I want to go live out there. I just. You said, I want to go and see what is out there. Yeah, I just want to peek over the fence, see what's outside of my little Comfort zone.

[Chris Housman]

And.

[Patrick Thompson]

And is that something that's. For me out there?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, because I. I totally. I totally get like. Like my older brother, he has no desire. And it. And I love. I'm almost. I almost envy it in a way. He. You know, a lot of that stuff that I was saying, like, kind of has done that. And he's the football coach now and has the family and they're raising his family there now. And I love and almost envy, like, he does not desire. You know, he has to him. He hasn't made there and is living the dream. So why shake that up or change that? I. And that's awesome. That was just not my experience at all. You know, just because when you're the. Yeah. When you feel like you're. Nobody wants to feel like you're the own, you know, alone or different and. Yeah. And that's really kind of all it comes down to. And I'd. And some people, that is their life. And that's amazing. And then. But I just have always wanted to, like, experience all the things as much as I can. So.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, I. I can relate to that a lot. Like, being in a small community like that and being the only one, which I. I know there was a couple others around my community, but we. We didn't really talk or were friends or anything like that. And just always feeling like you're going to be in a place where you're judged and people are whispering and you know how the gossip is in the small. Small town and the small churches and all of that kind of thing.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

Like, me, I. I needed to get out of there and be in a community, you know? Like, I do miss the country life, a lot of it. But I also love the community that we have built here in. In Dallas. And so. Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. And it can feel. It can feel. I mean, especially. Yeah. When you find your, like, tribe of people. I feel like, especially in queer spaces, it can feel like a small town. I know it definitely feels that way in Nashville. Like, if I go to one of the four or five. Five maybe gay bars here, there's no way I'm not gonna run into somebody I know. But at the same time, like, it's nice to. Yeah. Be able to walk down the street without it, you know, somebody talking about what you were wearing that day or whatever. So.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, definitely. When you were young also, you started to get involved in music. Did you. Did you ever dream that you were going to end up where you are today and. And share a little bit where your passion for the Music came from totally.

[Chris Housman]

So, ah, gosh. It's crazy, because right around the same time that I was kind of having these first realizations that I might be gay is also right around the same time that I realized I wanted to do music. I was 7 years old at a jam session with my parents in Dodge City. So basically, on Friday nights that weren't during football season, they would go hang out at a friend's house, and my dad and some other. These kind of, like, older folks would, like, play music and, like, just gossip and smoke cigarettes while, like, me and my twin brother and a couple other kids would, like, play outside or whatever.

[Justin Yoder]

And. And.

[Chris Housman]

But yeah, I would just kind of sit in there sometimes. And I was really fascinated with this older man named Tom that played the fiddle really well, and he was just such a cool guy. And I decided I wanted to play fiddle like Tom. And so I, you know, told my parents that they were like, nah, you'll pick it up once and never touch it again. So I was like, cool, I'll just wait for, like, Christmas and Santa will come through. And he did.

[Patrick Thompson]

Yeah, Santa.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Shout out to Santa. And then on it. Yeah, I just kind of picked it up and ran with it. And it came really naturally. My parents both have a little bit of music backgrounds, and both were naturally just kind of good singers. And so next thing we knew, we had, like, a family band. My mom played banjo, my dad played bass, my twin brother played guitar, and I played fiddle. And we all sang and started doing these, like.

[Justin Yoder]

Sounds like a country song if I ever heard.

[Chris Housman]

Oh, right. Yeah, it really does. Yeah. Insane. Even talking about it now just sounds almost like a country movie or something. But. But, yeah, so we do these play at senior homes, VFWs, little events, and then these Wild west shows in Dodge City all the time. And. Yeah, I mean, from. I did my first show, and I was 8, and then till 18. And. But, yeah, as far. And. But then really, like, as far as, like, what? I think I'm where I'm at now. That's a great question, because then when I, you know, I knew I was coming to Nashville, that felt like a place I could pursue music but also get a bachelor's degree. But I had also just come out, so I was like, well, I can't do country music anymore, but maybe I'll. So I tried dabbling in, like, pop music a little bit or. But then I really decided I was gonna just work in the music industry and not, like, not really pursue it, because I was like, I had no reason to believe that I could be openly gay and do country music at the time. Yeah. You know, no representation to tell me that that would be the case. So I was like, okay, I can just be behind the scenes and do music that way. Yeah. And that just took a lot of years and things changing a little bit always, you know, got more progress, more ways to go, but. And there's just kind of give. Giving, getting older and caring a little less about what people think and stuff to real, you know, to start just pursuing country music as my authentic self. So it's crazy that.

[Patrick Thompson]

What a ride.

[Chris Housman]

We're here. Yeah. Seriously.

[Patrick Thompson]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

When did you start realizing. What year was it that you started realizing that you wanted to be authentically yourself and also pursue country music and trying to make space in that genre?

[Chris Housman]

Well, I moved to Nashville in 2008 for college, and I started writing country songs in 2017. And. And even then I started writing songs, but I was like, okay, you know, so in Nashville, we do a lot of co writing where you have, like, usually three people in a room, which is kind of one of the traditions of country music. And, you know, some of those times. Some of the times I would, like, be out to those people. I was totally out to, you know, all my close friends, and I was out all through college. But then some of these rooms you're walking in, you don't know who you're writing with. And I didn't feel like coming out to straight country bros every day, you know, five days a week. So sometimes it's like, sure, let's write this girl song. Or. Or like.

[Justin Yoder]

Or.

[Chris Housman]

Or. My trick kind of was just like, I would tell people, like, oh, I like keeping things universal and just using, like, you instead of like, girl or whatever pronouns. And so I was. That was kind of my way for a while, really, until 2020, that I think 2020, you know, is as hard as it was. It also provided a massive opportunity to kind of zoom out and look and look at the world through a little different lens. I know I definitely learned a lot about what matters and what doesn't and really started changing the way I approach songwriting. And that's really when I started writing, like, my truth and my story in my songs. And. And then that immediately, like, you know, no coincidence, completely had my trajectory of my career change and take off for the first time. So.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, was that this with the song? Was that Blue Neck? Or was there another song before that?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, Blue Neck was the first. So Blue Neck was the third song I put out and the first one that actually did anything.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. I put my first song out at the end of 2019. I put one out in 2020 and then blue neck out in 2021.

[Justin Yoder]

So what was that like as you started to realize that song was catching. Catching ground, Catching fire.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, it was terrifying at first, honestly, because I was kind of like, oh, boy, there's no going back from this.

[Justin Yoder]

But.

[Chris Housman]

But at the same time, I. So TikTok. I was kind of newer to TikTok, and I think everybody kind of was in 2020 or this. I guess this is the beginning of 2021. But I'd already written. I'd had the idea and we wrote just the chorus that day. I had, like, 72 followers on TikTok, so it felt like very little pressure to, like, throw that chorus up on TikTok and that one. And that went viral pretty much immediately. And. And then the more I posted about it, the more traction it got. And I released it less than a month later. It was number one on iTunes. Country and like, number four, all genre on itunes. So, I mean, having. And had like 6 million views or something already. So having that. I mean, I can't express how much having that validity of seeing it resonate with so many people and even just those numbers to, you know. Yeah. Validate that. No, this is a story that needs to be heard. This is country music. There are a lot of people. I mean, similar, Justin, to what you were saying about people in rural areas reaching out. I get those same comments all the time on stuff for the last several years and. But really starting with that song that, like, people saying they live, you know, in the middle of nowhere, don't know if they'll ever be able to come out, but that they wish they heard this song when they were a kid. And that's kind of my whole thing. That's the reason really why I'm doing it is because I'm like, I can't imagine how much when I was watching CMT as a kid, if I would have seen someone like me on the tv. Even just once. Even just once. Like. But so that's. I mean, you know, the. The fuel to my fire and stuff. Think so.

[Patrick Thompson]

And it's such a cool song. Like, I. It showed up on my Spotify one day and, like, I was just driving, not really paying attention. But I remember the. The chorus. I was like, whoa, hold up. And I rewound it and listen from the beginning. And I was like, he's out. He's poking the bear. Appropriately and there's unmistakably drawing a line in the sand with your beliefs, your convictions, especially in the Nashville crowd. Like, that's something that you're unable to walk back. So went from small town into music city Nashville, major culture shock, and still have the guts to speak up like this. Can you give us a sort of 10,000 foot view of, like, what the song is sort of about? Blue Neck?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, totally. So I used to say, like, Blue Neck is kind of just like me and in a nutshell, just my beliefs. And. Yeah, it's funny because, like, it's kind of a polarizing song. I mean, you know, the hook of the song is, yeah, I guess I'm a red state blue neck, basically. You know, I had the idea originally, like, I wrote down in a notebook a song about being a liberal redneck, and then I circled that and drew an arrow and I'd say, and I wrote blue neck, question mark, and circled that a bunch. And that's where it came from. But really just, like, you know, polarizing in some ways, but really not just saying things like y' all means all, and just saying that, like, I think if you work a job, you ought to make a living. And things that seem pretty fundamental human rights to me, but in the country space are definitely, like, considered taboo and. And all that, so. But at the same time, it's kind of like, you know, if. It's also been great to find my people and find my audience and, you know, and I really think it's kind of got, like, a really passionate, listening, like, audience, more so than, like, oh, cool. I love the way this song sounds. And then that's cool, too. And I've got songs like that, too, that, you know, not everything is like Blue Neck, but. But really, like, taking a stance like that, I think has been such a great thing for my career.

[Patrick Thompson]

Well, it's the sort of the field of dreams, so to speak. Like, if you build it, they will come. Like. Yeah, if you create it, your audience is going to show up. And they have. And I'm glad that it's been so well received. Some of your other stuff that I was stalking around. I love your work with Calgaze.

[Chris Housman]

Yes.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

That's fun.

[Patrick Thompson]

I absolutely love it. It's so playful, but, like, musically, the harmonies are, like, so tight and freaking sick. I love it.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

And then kids like us. Oh, that one's good.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

Thank you.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Yeah, that's been fun. That's brand. Pretty much brand new, like we've been doing. Yeah, it's a like a project between myself and two of my best friends who are also openly gay country artists called the cow gays. And we've been out for three months now. Three and a half months. So. And we're. We have a lot of really cool stuff happening already. It's. It's fun. There's definitely power in numbers and. And I love harmony. That's where like going back to that family band stuff, I'm like, yes, this is my. I love this and I missed it.

[Patrick Thompson]

Yeah. And yeah, it's just a blast. I'm also a fan of Brooke Eden. I do a lot of line dancing. I just.

[Justin Yoder]

Oh yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

I just started teaching on occasion for an organization called Dallas does dance at the roundup.

[Chris Housman]

Oh my gosh. I just met some of those people. Why can't I remember they. And they were in our music video with some. Yeah, they're the two Chrises. There's two other Chrises. And why can't I remember There was somebody we were calling Gay Tucker Wetmore. I can't remember his name now.

[Justin Yoder]

Oh yeah, I know who you're talking about. Anyway, probably Andrew you probably met. It wouldn't surprise me if you met Vinny too. Andrew would be. I could see you calling him the gay Andrew's.

[Chris Housman]

Right.

[Justin Yoder]

That's funny.

[Patrick Thompson]

But I. I did teach book song show you how to giddy up a few weeks ago. I. That's a blast. And I think you have a video of that.

[Chris Housman]

We just did the. Brooke and I did the.

[Patrick Thompson]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Giddy up blind dance at the roundup when we were there a couple weeks ago because they. They. We went in the first night you

[Justin Yoder]

danced when you were there and performed while you're there.

[Chris Housman]

Oh, we just. We didn't perform. But we just dan. We just popped in because none of us had ever been popped in. And then people like, you know, recognized.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

And so they played giddy up. They played one of my songs hiding something. And then we actually shot part of a music video that is. I can't wait to tell y' all more about someday eventually but long way out. But the Calgary's music video that we shot part of it at the roundup with Dallas does Dance like dancing behind us.

[Justin Yoder]

Was that planned out?

[Chris Housman]

Well, we went in on Saturday and loved like loved it so much. And Brooke talked to. Yeah, I think Andrew and the Chris's and. And we just had the idea of like, hey, we're shooting this music video on Monday. Could we like do y' all want to be in it? And could we Come back here. And they're like, sure.

[Patrick Thompson]

So sweet.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

How cool is that?

[Chris Housman]

Back to that small town, the, you know, gay world being gay world, small town, something like that.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah. That's cool. Oh, man, I wish I was in. In town. I was enjoying the Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks at the time with a team out there. But that's awesome. When I saw you post assigned to Roundup, I was like, I had a message you and was like, are you around up right now? Yeah. Like, I can't believe I'm missing you.

[Chris Housman]

We were having such a good time. We were saying. We kept saying it was like Disney World for us. Just, you know, we don't have anything like that here in Nashville, which sucks.

[Justin Yoder]

But hey, come anytime. We'll have a good time. For sure.

[Chris Housman]

Absolutely.

[Justin Yoder]

It's where if we're going out, like, that's where we're going, is to round up. Even though, like, the great thing about Dallas, if you do like going out and that's your thing, is like, all the gay bars are just right there on the strip together. So it's really nice to be able to just walk wherever you want to go.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

But like, Roundup's kind of our home and we. We love it there. There's good.

[Chris Housman]

People understand why.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, yeah. We were jumping back a little bit. We were talking about wanting country music to be for everyone. What do you think the future of country music looks like? And I even know that there's a big struggle even with. And I think that female artists are becoming a lot more popular and given a lot more stage time than what they've used to. But even people of color, it just seems like country culture and music has a long ways to go. But what is the future? What does the future look like in the country industry to you?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, I fully think it looks gayer, it looks more female, and it looks more colorful. I think the kind of natural system is working hard to keep doing the same thing it's been doing for the last about century. But I think there's so much weight that eventually that's gonna like, break through the ceiling. And there's just kind of. I mean, there's so much, so much talent and just long overdue recognition from different walks of life. And country music talks all the time about being, you know, three chords in the truth and about how it's so good about storytelling and it is. And that's like one of my favorite parts about country music. But, you know, okay, if we're telling three chords in the truth, but we're only. But then the same songs are just, you know, beer, fish, hunt, drink, or whatever, which are all great things. That's fine. But, you know, then that's not. I don't know. There's just so many more truths to be told. There's so many more stories to be told. And I. And I wish Nashville and, like, the country music industry saw the opportunities that I see. I mean, I don't. I don't know how they don't see dollar signs in their eyes like the cartoons, because, I mean, really think about. I mean, I see the comments all the time of, like, probably my number one comment is people that say they grew up on country, but they gravitated away from it because they felt unwelcome by it. Totally understandable. Even if they're, like, straight and they just, you know, thought the country's like. And they moved to a city, but they're from Illinois originally. And how the industry doesn't see this massive untapped market of about half the country, I don't, like, blows my mind. And especially when you just start letting people know that it's a. You know, it can be a genre for everybody. Just the idea of a genre of music excluding people is so sad to me. Like, yeah, that's. Yeah. You know, I mean, of course there's, like, the country lifestyle, and it's going to appeal, you know, or traditionally has appealed more to people who grew up in the country. But there's by no means, like, why limit your audience to just that. I don't care if you were born and raised in New York. I hope you can listen to my country ass song Sorry. And. And find it, you know, and find something good in that.

[Justin Yoder]

Absolutely. I don't remember what year it was that it came out, but I remember when Steve grand released All American Boy, and I was, like, just blown away because it was the first time that I felt like. And I don't know that he specifically would call that song country because that was brought up and he wanted to be, I don't think, locked down to one genre. But for me, I think it was the first time that I had heard a song from a gay artist that I felt was country. And, you know, as I have, I was born and raised country. I am probably going to die a country boy. Like, I love the country. And there's also a lot of misconceptions about people who are country because they think, oh, if you are country, you are this, and they put you in a box and so many times I'm put in a box just because of, like, the way that I dress or whatever it might be, or I'm wearing a cowboy hat or whatever, and I'm like, look, just because you think, you know what country is, that doesn't mean that we're all in the same box together. And I love that you are bringing this diversity and trying to break out of this box and bringing a lot of queerness and gayness to the country industry, and I hope that that continues to encourage others, because representation is huge. That's one of the big things with LGBTQ outdoors. We want to show representation of people, our community and the outdoors to help encourage more people and get out there. And I'm hoping that the same thing happens with you that. That people might think, I can never be a country music artist because I'm queer. Well, look at you. You're doing it.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, exactly. It really is so similar. And that's one of the things I. Many things that I love about what y' all are doing is. And I, you know, similarly, like, when I first stumbled upon, you know, Yalls Instagram page, I was just so pumped, like, yes, I love that this exists, and. And I think, yeah, people have a similar feeling, you know, when they discover a queer country artist. Like, love that this exists and this is a thing and can be a thing and. Because, yeah, like, I mean, there's so many stereotypes and. And, yeah, just like, yeah, that, you know, you can't be gay or queer and do this and. Or be that and. And we just. Yeah, it takes just exposure and representation to make those disappear.

[Justin Yoder]

So, yeah, totally. When it comes to a lot of our divisions, what do you think we could do in what. In maybe for marginalized communities, whether that's the queer community or people of color. But what do you think we could do to create more welcoming communities where a lot of times, you know, going country, you feel like there's walls that are dividing? Like, what do you believe could help bring down walls and bring more unity? Because a lot of times we aren't all that different, and a lot of times people have those misconceptions about who we are.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, that's. You know, that's, like, the thing that I go to bed thinking about pretty much every night is like, I'm constantly trying to think of a way to, via country song, like, break things down in a way that even, like, the people in my hometown that never, you know, that are born and raised there and stayed there could understand to make people, like, remember that we're all just humans. And, like, I don't know how we got so lost in that, like, of the dividing and separating and. And it written, like, wait a second, we lost the plot. Here we're on this beautiful planet together where it's literally like one human race. Even stuff like that, I think just, you know, like, of course, like, there's like, ethnicity and race, and I'm no expert or, like, anthropologist or anything, but. But even that around that word, like, race, like, we are. It's a human race. And then of course, there's like, ethnicities and. But even skin color and stuff only has to do with, like, your generations and generations and generations before you, how close they were to the equator. And like, that. It's stuff like that that I think. And. And then it's, you know, you break that down even more into, like, sexuality or gender. And. And I. I'm constantly trying to think of, like, ways because, like, country music is also, like, really simple. And I'm trying to think of ways, like, I've got this song up and down that's on this album.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. And that one's. Thank you. Thank you. And that one's like, I'm kind of. You know, it's about, like, class consciousness and stuff, but I'm like, come on, people. There's night. It's like 99 of us have more in common than 1% of us. And why. Why are we doing. And really, the, you know, thing there is the real divide ain't left and right. It's up and down. That type of. That's a. That one. I was like, okay, that's an, you know, example of when I feel really good about writing a song. If I could just write a hundred more of those, be great. But. But, yeah, that's what I mean. I think really, though, what we can all do is just, like. I think just exposure. I think, unfortunately, a lot of people require exposure to walks of life different than their own to be able to understand something. Unfortunately. You know, you'd hope that we could just have the empathy to think about that and do that. But I think. And that's why I think to a lot of. You know, granted, of course, seems like we're taking a dip. I've seen some statistics about. But, like, everybody, you know, has maybe a gay cousin or gay uncle, brother, sister, even dad, mom, whatever, but not everybody. Not every white person has a black cousin, sibling, mom, dad, son, etc. And so I think that's one of the things that I've Kind of come to my own conclusion on. Is that like, even exposure to different walks like that and stuff that, like creating those opportunities to be exposed to different walks of life. So I don't know that's. I have the whole little theory there.

[Patrick Thompson]

No, and I would absolutely subscribe to that. Many, many years ago, I went and did an internship, a college internship in Florida. And one of my roommates was from Georgia. And we're just walking around the lake one night and I came out to him and he was like, huh, we don't have gay folks in Georgia. And I was like, oh, but you do. It's.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Just consider that the environment makes them feel uncomfortable to not be. Or uncomfortable enough to not be visible. And he was like, whole. Like, that stopped him in his tracks.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Like, I wasn't trying to, like, make a point or, you know, convince him of anything of just saying what I understand. And I think that that sort of reframed how he looks at queer people or even others in any capacity.

[Chris Housman]

I can't imagine how many people like, yeah. In my hometown county area that just like, yeah. Didn't come out and won't. Because I could totally understand why people would. Would do that and not feel comfortable doing that for sure.

[Justin Yoder]

So.

[Patrick Thompson]

Absolutely. And especially in. In the middle of Pride Month, I. Folks in that situation, like, it breaks my heart that you're in a situation where you. You just can't. I hope that maybe one day you can, but until then, know that, like, we're here, we see you, we are absolutely rooting for you and stick around.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely kind of on that. With talking a little bit about mental health. I'm sure that music, even though I'm not musically gifted, I do love music. But I know music and nature can both be very healing for you. Have they helped navigate difficult moments for you? And what. What does that look like for you as a queer adult in a. Can be a very challenging time.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh. I mean, those. Nature and music have truly been the two most healing things for me. Sometimes hand in hand simultaneously even. But yeah, I mean, for me really, like, music even as. As a kid, was kind of the thing that, like, pushed me to. Was my reason to work so hard and set myself up in a way that I could like, experience more of life and. And then like now, I mean, lately, especially in the last, like, decade and really since 2020, for me that I rekindled my relationship with nature. I've always, always have loved it and stuff, but. But I've really I've. I've been a better partner in my relationship with nature since 2020 and a better practicing nature lover. And I mean I like actually, it's funny, I saw that there's an app called Touch Grass. I pretty much tried to do this on my own, but I saw that there's an app the other day called like Touch Grass or something where you have to go outside and take a picture of yourself in grass before you can like open up Instagram or whatever on your phone. And I thought that was pretty. Yeah, I thought that was pretty genius. I pretty much, I pretty much tried to do that already. But like any. I mean for me it's like if I at least go on a walk outside or you know, at the very least do that then like my mental health and everything is going to go up. And if my mental health is because I went on that walk, then I'm probably going to write a better song that day or I'm gonna just feel better and be better to people and just be, you know, energy levels be better. And my like, I mean even, even for me, like a lot of music for me started with like church stuff and gospel stuff and you know, then as a person who then experienced like a lot of religious trauma but then has since developed, you know, I feel like it sounds kind of cliche but very spiritual person now. That feels like a kind of full circle thing too. That nature is where I've is. My church now is the place I feel most with God, Source, Universe. And I mean and even just being in nature, you hear so much music just with the animals and the wildlife, birds, there's just so much music. I, I have a goal someday of I want to do like a, a live album thing in nature and call it like public rec or. Yeah, public. I don't know. I have a dude.

[Justin Yoder]

Yes.

[Chris Housman]

Like where every song, even if it's just like, you know, I want to hear all the like critters and stuff all throughout and yeah, that's, that's a major goal someday. But so I kind of. I don't even know if I answered your question, but we did great. Great.

[Justin Yoder]

It's so good. And you know, I, I like, you know, because we've all heard the term touch grass grass. But I like how simple it is for you because I think a lot of people, when they think about what we do specifically, they're thinking, oh, you're gonna go climb a 14, 000 foot mountain or you're this through hike that's going to take Five days or all these big things. But that's not what it's about. It's. It's as simple as just getting out there and. And getting sunshine, listening to the birds, going on a walk, breathing in some fresh air. Because I've. I've said this a lot recently because it's kind of been my. My little kick that I've been on recently where I don't think that when you hear about a. A queer person that doesn't like the outdoors, I don't think that they don't like watching a sunrise or they don't like being out among fresh trees and wildflowers. You know, it's. There's. There's a disconnect there of where it's so much easier to enjoy nature than thinking that it's this big, grand thing that you have to go outside and going to have to get all muddy and dirty and sweaty and ate up by bugs and all of this stuff. It could be so much easier.

[Chris Housman]

So much easier. I mean, I'm on this call right now on my front porch while it's raining and it's gorgeous, and I. I try to take all my meetings and, like, calls and stuff on my front porch if I can, and just. And watch my garden and make sure squirrels aren't eating anything and. Yeah, even that simple, just right out your front door can even get the job done.

[Justin Yoder]

Absolutely. I'm curious. Where do you find hope right now?

[Chris Housman]

Ooh. I would say in community. In, like, community and both my community and just communities that I see. I. I see. Yeah. I see hope and that we. I see hope in, like, that we're challenging things that aren't. Okay. I love. See, I've attended, you know, a few, like, no Kings protests and stuff, and I love. I honestly see hope and love seeing.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

People carrying American flags at those odd.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

And that kind of, like, it feels weird to, like. I'm like, oh, yeah, this is like, yeah, that's my country too. And like, yeah, that hit me way harder than I, like, thought it would, but really totally redirected it from something that felt like, okay, like, I'm gonna. Maybe gonna go this way to like. Yeah, that's. We have every right to that just as much as the next person. And. Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Well, we're in a time where it is so very, very easy to isolate.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Like, things are intense. I'm gonna shrink up into my shell. I'm gonna shut the door and cut myself the easiest. That is the fastest. That is the safest way to Protect myself from all the chaos. But I absolutely agree with you that the antidote to that is community.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Because just life, regardless of what it is, is less ugly when there are people around you helping you stand.

[Chris Housman]

Totally.

[Patrick Thompson]

No question.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Kind of going back to what the thing we're talking about with, like, just one person, you know, it doesn't have to be a big community. I mean, I'm pretty introverted. My partner and I are pretty introverted. But, yeah, it doesn't have to be a big one, even. But, you know, small community can do wonders, for sure.

[Justin Yoder]

So. Yeah, definitely agree with that. We would like to do a fun little thing with you and do kind of a little lightning round of questions for you. Cool. Patrick, you want to start it off?

[Patrick Thompson]

Sure. Here we go. Sunrise or sunset?

[Chris Housman]

Ooh, sunset. Just because I'm hopefully still sleeping at sunrise.

[Justin Yoder]

I feel you. Okay, so this is gonna go slower. Slower than a lightning round normally does. But I feel you so much on that, because the trip that we just did was based on wildlife, and so wildlife is more active in the morning and evening. So we were getting up at, like, 4:20, 4:15, 4:20 in the morning sometimes, and it was just like, oh, my gosh, what am I doing? But it was worth it, right?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah. Oh, definitely.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah. Cowboy boots or hiking boots?

[Chris Housman]

Cowboy boots.

[Patrick Thompson]

Okay. Favorite outdoor destination?

[Chris Housman]

The A. River. Yeah. Kayaking on a river.

[Patrick Thompson]

Nice. Okay.

[Justin Yoder]

Campfire or front porch?

[Chris Housman]

Campfire.

[Justin Yoder]

Actually,

[Patrick Thompson]

a favorite country artist.

[Chris Housman]

Oh, I would say Casey Musgraves.

[Justin Yoder]

Okay, so good. Did you know that she was at roundup one night, too?

[Chris Housman]

No. Wait. Recently, she did karaoke. Oh, my gosh.

[Justin Yoder]

And she showed up on a Tuesday night, Random night. Not very many people there. She tried to sing under a different name, and as soon as she started singing, it was like, nope. You can't hide that voice.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

She was just so down to earth and so cool. Like, that's awesome.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Chris Housman]

Round up. Round up. Getting all the love in this episode.

[Justin Yoder]

They are as they.

[Chris Housman]

As they deserve. Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

Like, okay, so hang on. Like, pause. Sorry. Round up. Like, this goes back to the community I was talking about and. And the line dancing. I never would have thought in my life that there would be any such thing as a community around line dancing inside of a country queer bar in Dallas, Texas. Like, none of that lines up right, But. And I don't really know how to fully explain it, but that environment and that community has been, like, become very important. Like, not just fun, not just cool, but I. It's, like, important to me.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

So, like, that kind of stuff exists? Yeah, Least likely looking for it.

[Chris Housman]

100%. I fully get it. I. I'm jealous. We have a. A small. Sorry, a small group here called Lavender Roots that kind of just taken off, but I think without the space. But I'm jealous of the line. The queer line dance community that you have there in Dallas.

[Patrick Thompson]

But, yeah, it's so much fun. Incredible people, too.

[Justin Yoder]

Now I lost where we were. Favorite song you've written.

[Chris Housman]

Ooh, I would say Dirt On Me, the last single I put out.

[Justin Yoder]

All right, what word that describes pride to you?

[Patrick Thompson]

Love.

[Chris Housman]

I would say love.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, love it. And I'm going to give you a chance, like, to elaborate even more on. On the pride, because we are in Pride month, and so I'd love to hear more from you about what pride means to you as a gay country artist. Cool.

[Chris Housman]

Thanks for letting me elaborate, too, because I feel like I said love with a question mark. Love. No, but really, I. I mean, I. Pride is so important to me because I. And so many of us know what it feels like to experience the other. The opposite of pride, the shame and that his. That other people put on us. So getting rid of what, you know, anything that other people put on us and experiencing pride for ourselves, you know, at least until hopefully someday. There's no reason to. Until then, we absolutely have to keep celebrating pride.

[Justin Yoder]

Yeah, definitely. And I think. I wish that we didn't have to celebrate it, but I also think that there is a. We kind of have a duty to keep celebrating it as well for those future generations and to remind people, too, like, it's not just an event. It's not just a parade. It was started as a riot. It's a march. It's standing up for who we are, being proud of who we are, authentic as ourselves, and trying to pave a way for future generations to be able to have a better tomorrow than what we might have today.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, totally. Also, this just popped in my head, too. It's probably a terrible way to describe it, but you know how, like, on your birthday you get a bunch of, like, texts and calls and emails, messages and stuff from people that you haven't thought about in a long time. And it's like, oh, man. Like, this is. This feels great. This is nice. Pride is great for that, too. It's like, oh, man, this is. Look at this beautiful community. Being queer is awesome and wouldn't change a thing. It's great for that, too. Like a yearly reminder that, like, see, we. We're good. We're so much better off being exactly who we are.

[Justin Yoder]

So. For sure. For sure. And I think you've done a great job at this in the whole episode. But if you're kind of to reflect on things, what message would you like to share with LGBTQ people that are growing up in small towns or rural communities like we did?

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, I would definitely say, as someone who was so sure that I was alone and that I was the only person that was going through the things I was going through and the only person from that small town that was gay, you're never truly alone. Find your people and. And that. You know, it's unfortunate that it's so hard to do, but one of the hardest and most important things you can do in your life is just be 100% yourself. The quicker you can get there, the better. I know I wasted a lot of years of my life not being 100% of myself, even after I came out. And once you've experienced it, there's just no going back.

[Justin Yoder]

I agree with you so much. It's so hard when you're in it and you are facing it, but then when you get through the other side and you realize the joy, the happiness, the peace, just living your authentic self, it's just like to be able to rip that band aid off faster.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Justin Yoder]

But again, it's. Everybody has their own journey, and everybody has to fight their own battles for sure. But I can relate to that. Yeah. Patrick, do you have any closing thoughts as we come to the end of this episode?

[Patrick Thompson]

I don't. Not really. This has been a blast. A fan. I love the wordsmithery that you use for your creations. It's playful at times, but also, like, very, very, like, heartfelt and impassioned. But again, there's also sort of like, this tongue in cheek kind of vibe.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah.

[Patrick Thompson]

It just makes it very, very accessible. And it's never preachy. It's just like you're doing some awesome stuff, and I'm really kind of freaking out that I'm getting to talk with you right now.

[Chris Housman]

That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, the. The slight humor thing is kind of always my, like, defense mechanism, I feel like. And. But, yeah, I think it unintentionally makes things more approachable. And. And, man, you guys, this has been a blast. I could chat with you guys for more. A couple more hours. This has been awesome.

[Justin Yoder]

Well, hopefully. Hopefully this is just the beginning, too. I absolutely have some ideas that I want to be able to talk to you about and see what we might be able to do in the future for sure. Absolutely. Can you share that with people where people can find out about your upcoming music projects, social media, any new music coming in, everything like that?

[Chris Housman]

Absolutely, yeah. So timing is perfect. So I'm actually announcing or I'm, you know, by the time you are hearing this, probably will have just been announced that I've got a new album coming out August 28th, an album called Dodge City, a little nod to where I was born. And then I've got a brand new single called Cowman because who wants a cowboy? And when you can have a Cowman, That might. That might be my new favorite song, actually. But very fun song and I can't believe it hasn't been written before yet, but that one's for the girls and the gays. So, yeah, new single, Cowman. I've got another song coming and then my second album at the end of August, so be on the lookout for that. You can find me on all the socials, Chris Housman music on most of them especially, you know, Instagram, YouTube, tick tock, Facebook, and then also just chrishausman.com you can find everything there. And Houseman is like Houseman with no E H O u S M A n. So yeah, and that's just my. I just, I maybe should have come up with like a clever country artist name. That's just my name. Whoops. Do it now.

[Justin Yoder]

It's all about being authentically you. Right? That's right.

[Chris Housman]

Yeah, exactly.

[Justin Yoder]

I think it works. And we're going to list all of that in the show notes as well. So wherever anybody's listening, people can be sure to find that information easy. But Chris, thank you for joining us and helping remind people that, you know, no matter. Matter what, they don't have to choose between where they've grown up and who they are. Whether it's the country or the city or they love the outdoors, wherever it is, that we're stronger together and we all belong together.

[Chris Housman]

Exactly. Amen.

[Justin Yoder]

Awesome. Be sure to follow Chris Housman, stream his music and support artists creating spaces where everyone can feel seen. And if you've enjoyed today's episode, please please give us a rating and review. It really helps our PODC whether you listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening. And until next time, get out there. Thanks for listening to the LGBTQ Outdoors Podcast. Catch past episodes on your favorite streaming platforms and connect with us on Instagram or Facebook by searching LGBTQ Outdoors. Support our mission by joining the Trailblazers [e-mail] trailblazers to learn more about our local local chapters, LGBTQ Outdoor Fest, Adventure Trips, or to sign up for our newsletter, visit lgbtqoutdoors. Com. If you enjoy the show, be sure to follow, rate and review. It helps keep our mission going.