Editing Chely Wright (section)

===Coming out and current life===
{{quote box|quote="I hear the word 'tolerance'—that some people are trying to teach people to be tolerant of gays. I'm not satisfied with that word. I am gay, and I am not seeking to be 'tolerated'. One tolerates a toothache, rush-hour traffic, an annoying neighbor with a cluttered yard. I am not a negative to be tolerated."|source= — Wright in a quote regarding her sexual identity{{sfn|Wright, Chely|2010|p=276}}|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

Wright eventually abandoned the belief of hiding her sexual identity. She soon took steps towards coming out. In 2008, Wright made the move from Nashville to [[New York City]] where she became more involved with the LGBT community. During this period, she came out to members of her immediate family and to a few of her close friends. It was not until 2007 that she decided to come out publicly, but spent the next three years writing her autobiography. She stated that she wanted to come out to free herself from the burdens of living a lie, to lend support to LGBT youth, and to dismantle the notion that being gay is immoral. On May 3, 2010, ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine reported her coming out.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morsch |first1=Mike |title=Chely Wright: from breakup to breakdown to breakthrough |url=https://www.montgomerynews.com/entertainment/chely-wright-from-breakup-to-breakdown-to-breakthrough/article_ef9b0fb1-8267-5a10-b53a-f395b6ae6963.html |website=Montgomery Media |access-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref><ref name="people">{{cite web |url=https://people.com/celebrity/country-music-artist-chely-wright-comes-out/ |title=Country Music Artist Chely Wright Comes Out |date=May 3, 2010 |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |publisher=People Magazine |access-date=May 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name="usatoday">{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/05/country-singer-chely-wright-says-shes-gay/1 |title=Country singer Chely Wright says she's gay |date=May 4, 2010 |work=USA Today |publisher=USA Today |access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Wright became one of the first<ref name="Herald"/><ref name="Roberts"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-rich-responds-to-chely-wright-memoir/ |title=John Rich Responds to Chely Wright Memoir |access-date=May 19, 2010 |work=CBS |date=May 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/may/14/time-out-kansan-chely-wright-becomes-first-openly- |title=Time out: Kansan Chely Wright becomes first openly gay country star |access-date=May 19, 2010 |work=Lawrence Journal World |year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1638272/chely-wright-acknowledges-her-homosexuality.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505234223/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1638272/chely-wright-acknowledges-her-homosexuality.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 5, 2010 |title=Chely Wright Acknowledges Her Homosexuality |access-date=May 19, 2010 |work=Country Music Television |year=2010}}</ref> members of the country music community to come out as gay; country artist [[k.d. lang]] came out in 1992 (though she later abandoned the country music genre), and [[Kristen Hall]], formerly of [[Sugarland]], was openly gay while working with that band.<ref>''The9513.com''. [http://www.the9513.com/the-malec-minute-sugarland-lawsuit-sheds-light-on-halls-departure/ The Malec Minute: Sugarland Lawsuit Sheds Light on Hall’s Departure] August 8, 2008. Retrieved August 5, 2010.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kort |first=Michele |date=June 21, 2005 |title=Sweet success: with her country band, Sugarland, poised to become a household word, out artist Kristen Hall is pickin' on top of the world |periodical=The Advocate}}</ref>

Following her announcement, Wright received support from fellow country artists [[LeAnn Rimes]], [[Mary Chapin Carpenter]], [[Faith Hill]], [[Naomi Judd]], [[SHeDAISY]] and [[Trisha Yearwood]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dukes |first=Billy |title=Chely Wright Names Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood + More as Supporters When She Came Out |url=https://tasteofcountry.com/chely-wright-gay-faith-hill-support/ |website=Taste of Country |date=March 29, 2012 |access-date=May 30, 2025}}</ref> She also found new fans that discovered her through the LGBT community and through social media platforms. Wright also lost a significant chunk of her fan base and her record sales dropped in half.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Stransky |first=Tanner |title=Country singer Chely Wright on the effect of coming out: 'My record sales went directly in half' |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/01/11/country-singer-chely-wright-coming-out-record-sales-half/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

Two weeks after publicly coming out, Wright met fellow LGBT activist and [[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony Music]] marketing director Lauren Blitzer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Courtney |title=Chely Wright + Lauren Blitzer: Inside Their 9-Year Love Story |url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/chely-wright-lauren-blitzer-inside-their-9-year-love-story/ |website=Wide Open Country |access-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref> On April 6, 2011, Wright announced her engagement to Blitzer. The couple married on August 20, 2011, in a private ceremony on a country estate in [[Connecticut]] officiated by both a rabbi and a reverend.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/08/chely-wright-married-lauren-blitzer-wedding.html |work=Los Angeles Times |title=Ministry of Gossip}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Geller |first=Wendy |url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/ourcountry/94422/chely-wright-marries-partner-lauren-blitzer-in-connecticut?nc |title=Chely Wright Marries Partner Lauren Blitzer in Connecticut |publisher=New.music.yahoo.com |date=August 20, 2011 |access-date=July 24, 2012}}</ref> On January 23, 2013, the couple announced that Chely was expecting identical twins.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2013/01/country-singer-chely-wright-pregnant-with-identical-twins/ |work=ABC.com |title=Country Singer Chely Wright Pregnant With Identical Twins}}</ref> In May 2013, Wright gave birth to two twin boys named George and Everett. Both children were named after their great-grandfathers, according to Wright.<ref>{{cite news |last=Saad |first=Nardine |title=Country singer Chely Wright welcomes identical twins with wife |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-chely-wright-baby-identical-twins-20130520-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 20, 2013 |access-date=July 6, 2022}}</ref>

In 2018, Wright suffered a [[stroke]]. After having a series of migraine headaches that felt unusual, Wright went to the emergency room at New York's [[Lenox Hill Hospital]]. Her doctor there confirmed that she had suffered a stroke. Wright made the news public a year later to help encourage other people to seek medical attention if they notice similar symptoms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Billups |first1=Andrea |title=Chely Wright Reveals She Suffered a Stroke a Year Ago: 'It's Been a Long Year, But I Am Okay' |url=https://people.com/health/chely-wright-reveals-she-suffered-a-stoke-a-year-ago-its-been-a-long-year-but-i-am-okay/ |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref>