Orville Peck, an openly gay country music artist, has broken genre conventions and calls out underlying homophobia in the culture of country music. Throughout his career he has been unapologetically himself and disregarded industry norms while addressing serious issues within the queer community, such as substance use, coping mechanisms, and the importance of checking in on one another. He is now breaking more industry norms by being the first openly gay singer to grace the cover of Playgirl! As with Heated Rivalry, gay male figures have become popular in women-oriented media.
The interview accompanying the sexy photos is also revealing as Peck talks about his career, journey to sobriety, and why he believes cowboys are extremely sexy. “Anything that plays with the OG trope of male strippers and images of what masculinity is supposed to be, tied to heterosexuality, is sexy. Not only is there a reality of gay cowboys in the world and in history, but I think the idea of a cowboy is such a trope of masculinity. What’s sexier than a little bit of rebellion? And chaps? If you don’t think that’s gay, I don’t know what to tell you,” Peck tells Playgirl
Watch his collaboration with Willie Nelson. The song they perform, Cowboys are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other, was written by Nelson in 1981.
