Country Singer Blake Shelton Under Fire for Gay Jokes on Twitter

By AOL Music Editors Posted May 6th 2011 12:30AM

PETA now has an ally in its war against Blake Shelton and his tweets.

It seems GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is angry at the country superstar for a Twitter post on which he rewrote a Shania Twain lyric (from 'Any Man of Mine') into what the organization deems is a "violent, anti-gay statement."

The controversy all started with this tweet from the singer, who's one of four coaches on NBC's runaway hit, 'The Voice', "Re-writing my fav Shania Twain song ... Any man that tries Touching my behind He's gonna be a beaten, bleedin', heaving kind of guy ... "

Blake has been rewriting a lot of country songs lately via Twitter ... but none has gotten even a fraction of the response this one did, as the singer was soon flooded with people questioning whether he's homophobic.

GLAAD (@glaad) tweeted, "No, @BlakeShelton - violent, anti-gay statements are not what a woman wants. Apologize now. #LGBT #gay #thevoice @NBCTheVoice"

At first, Blake didn't let the controversy get to him, tweeting, "Ba! Ha! Reading all my anti-gay hate tweets ... Ha! Ha! If people only knew even a little about me, my family and friends. Dumb asses ..."

But then he tried to rationalize, insisting his rewritten lyrics were "meant to be from a girls point of view ... Thus, 'Shania Twain'"

Those tweets followed with several apologies and clarifications from the Oklahoma native:

"Hey y'all allow me to seriously apologize for the misunderstanding with the whole re-write on the Shania song last night."

"It honestly wasn't even meant that way."

"When it comes to gay/lesbian rights or just feelings ... I love everybody. So go look for a real villain and leave me out of it!!!"

"@glaad - hey I want my fans and @nbcthevoice fans to know that anti-gay and lesbian violence is unacceptable!!!!! Help me!!!! And DM me..."

Blake's bosses at 'The Voice' are standing by him -- and with a sense of humor -- tweeting, "@glaad listen to us #thevoice when we tell you that Blake is all about love, laughter, music, @AdamLevine and no hate."

This isn't the first time Blake has come under fire with the gay community. Just after fellow country star Chely Wright announced she was a lesbian, he tweeted, "Sooo..... Chely Wright just came out. Guess this opens the door... I Blake Shelton am a lesbian."

That, too, prompted a sea of angry responses, but Blake insists he was just admiring the brunette beauty. "Haters.. When I say someone is HOT it's actually a complement... Get it?" he tweeted. "I don't care if Chely Wright is gay. I think she's hot!!!"

And then there's PETA ... Blake has clashed with the animal rights organization for years, and often pokes fun of it via Twitter. Example: PETA once tweeted, "Animal testing breaks hearts," to which Blake responded, "Yeah, and bow hunting breaks their lungs!"

The avid hunter was eventually blocked from receiving PETA's tweets after a long war of words.

As for this current controversy, do we think the big guy is sweating? Probably not. "It's puzzled me why country artists have to be so politically correct," Blake once told Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "I mean, I'm not a politician ... I'm just more open lately, and it's amazing the reaction to that. People either love me or hate me, but it's the first time they are noticing which is awesome for me."

Blake will take time off from 'The Voice' and from the road this month, as he's set to marry Grammy-winning songbird Miranda Lambert on May 14.

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Comments

(29)

Friday 06 May

By Suzanne

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Get a grip. Everything said is not a slam on gays. Blake Shelton is not a gay basher.

By lucydina42

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Maybe, maybe not, but he sure is a juvenile idiot.

By Diane Fahey

He is a stupid redneck and should not use electronic devices if he does not understand them.

By MARIE-THERESE

i agree to that its getting to be ridiculous that noone can say anything about anything that people think its all about diff people its not so my god sometimes i am afraid to open my mouth fearing that i qam insulting someone

By cathy

SO, it's OK to say HICK and REDNECK but a man can't make a joke? This world is just a little screwed up!

By judy warren

I agree get a grip

By Ibelieve

He should follow a single rule before he tweets..."Never miss an opportunity to shut up."

Tuesday 10 May

By ciscoTHETINK

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WATEV YA HE IS

By common sense

what else would you expect from some hick from Oklahoma? He was probably making love to sheep when he was 5.he got an ugly behind anyway shouldnt flatter himself...

By willalwaysdream

Not all Oklahomans are hicks.We do eat organic foods and are not OCD about it.

By Jules

Hate much, CS? You're part of the problem.

By gail

Someone is a "PIG" .... Me thinks it's you !!!!!

By traumajunkie3

All these special interest groups have no sense of humor. Tell them to go to hell and just keep being Blake

Blake Shelton is known for his sense of humor and more often then not, it's directed at himself.

I absolutely support gay rights including marriage but I think they've misfired attacking Blake.

He's just a funny guy.......and a great singer.

By k

What a moron. When he gets caught bein' a jerk, he turns around and blames everyone else. What show was he on? You mean the one they just canceled for bigotry?

By bbqpitstop

Seems okay for ever self interest group to cram their rhetoric down our throats but if we even utter something not PC they go crazy. To each his own. I have two gay children, don't hate gays, and I'm not homophobic but I reserve the right to be honest and say that as a mom it's a disappointment and I worry that they're not mature enough to realize the hardships that lifestyle can bring. And I'm not talking about the prejudices....just the difficulties in having a future family, the lost hope I had for them to lead heterosexual lives etc. No different than I wouldn't choose to be amish, somalian, or poverty stricken. That's the beauty of the world, you go your way, but let me go mine. And if it means letting gays know that not YOUR bag, than let it get said. I resent it when ANY other group tells me how I SHOULD feel.

By Lee

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"......and I took the road less traveled........."

If only I could have taken both.

Then I would not have to defend my choice.

By Dave

He looks "gay".

Saturday 07 May

By christina

um...ur mama looks gay!!!! TEAM BLAKE ALLLL THE WAY!!!! RAIN RAIN GO AWAY THATSWHAT ALL BLAKES HATERS SAY!!!!!

By trishmartin45

GET A GRIP! Someone on here just called Blake a redneck. If it is such a big deal to make light of gays and lesbians, then all the rednecks ought to be irate and marching because they have been dissed! Apparently it is okay to call someone names if we disagree with them. EVERYBODY (all nationalities, all sexual persuasions, all regional stereotypes, all political leanings, etc.)need to take a step back and STOP taking themselves so darned seriously. Lighten up and get a sense of what is truly important in life!!!!!

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