Discuss It: Little Big Town's Girl Crush

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Earlier this week, I shared a cover version of "Girl Crush" by an out artist, but today, I wanted to discuss the actual song/lyrics by Little Big Town.

If you haven't heard their version, check out the video below:

When this song was first released as a single, there was a lot of controversy in the country music world. People didn't really listen to the lyrics, I assume, and thought it was about a same-sex crush. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, and if it was about an actual girl crush, that would be awesome too. However, just hearing a song like this was enough to ignite anger in people and that's awful, in my opinion. It means there are a lot of people that would boycott a song because they think it's about a same-sex relationship.

Check out this article on ABC News that talks a bit more about the controversy and people complaining to radio stations.

Like I said above, if this song was actually about a lesbian relationship, I would be completely fine with that. I know not everyone would be though, and again, that's fine, but I still think it's wrong to want to ban or not play a song because of that attitude.

As for the actual song "Girl Crush", it's about a girl who wants to be the girl her ex is currently in love with. Some lyrics-

I want to taste her lips
Yeah, 'cause they taste like you
I want to drown myself
In a bottle of her perfume
I want her long blonde hair
I want her magic touch
Yeah, 'cause maybe then
You'd want me just as much
I got a girl crush
I got a girl crush

Read more: Little Big Town - Girl Crush Lyrics | MetroLyrics

I think it's pretty obvious from the above lyrics what the singer means. She wants to be the girl so she can have the guy. It's all a matter of paying attention to lyrics and not being upset by certain lyrics or phrases. 

"Girl Crush" is an interesting song for sure, and I think it does make people stop and think. Is this something that is going to upset you? And do you like it more because it can be seen in another light? Listening to Kristen Merlin's cover of it definitely makes me think of it differently, and I love that. I think it's great to have songs that can be a bit ambiguous and allow all types of people to relate to them. At the same time, people have to allow this. Whether the song was a same-sex crush or not, people should learn to listen to all types of music. After all, girls listen to guys singing about girls and vice versa. Where's the outcry there?

What do you think? Discuss it!

-Lauren Becker

Turn It Up: Kristen Merlin covers Girl Crush

Kristen Merlin is a past contestant on the U.S. singing competition, The Voice. She was Team Shakira and sings wonderfully in the country genre. Country group Little Big Town have a current single called "Girl Crush" and as an out artist, Merlin covered the song (video above) with a decidedly different twist since it's not meant to be about a same-sex relationship. We'll have a discussion later this week about this song, so please come back!

What do you think of this version? Had you heard the song before?

-Lauren Becker

U.S. Wins + Abby Wambach Runs to Wife

this is an older photo of Wambach, but source

 The U.S. Women's Soccer Team won the World Cup last night against Japan, 5-2. As soon as the game was over, Abby Wambach ran over to the crowd to hug and kiss her wife, Sarah Huffman.

Some people may see this and think "what's the big deal? It's her spouse!" and that's a great attitude to have. At the same time, you have to remember that not everyone feels that way and I still think it's a very brave thing to do in public, regardless of "fame" or anything else.

What do you think?

Congrats to Abby and the rest of the U.S. team!

-Lauren Becker

Happy 4th: Feel Proud

For those of you in the United States, Happy Fourth of July. Whether you're in the U.S. or not -

"What have you done today to make you feel proud?"





-Lauren Becker

Discuss It: Still Fighting for Equality

Discuss It!

Same-sex marriage might have been legalized in the United States, but that doesn't mean the fight has ended. There are still going to be people who oppose these rights, and will do what they can to deny other ones. Religion is also a major factor for most people when it comes to accepting same-sex marriage and other rights.

I found two articles online that I wanted to share and discuss with everyone. Please state your opinion in the comments below. Feel free to be honest, but do not hassle anyone else or we will delete your comment.

First off, the Advocate shares a story about an Arkansas County Clerk that resigned so she didn't have to issue same-sex couples marriage licenses. She has held this job for the past 24 years, and she states in the article that she doesn't hate anyone and it was a difficult decision, but she just doesn't agree with same-sex marriage.

This is a difficult topic, I think, because we need to be respectful of everyone's beliefs. Personally, I see nothing wrong with same-sex couples and they should definitely be allowed to get married. For people that oppose this idea, I simply believe they should kind to people and not try and push their beliefs on others. Besides that, everyone is free to believe what they want and if this woman would rather resign than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, then so be it. Do I personally agree? No, but you can't change everyone's opinions.

What do you think?

The other article was on the Huffington Post and it's about how the Episcopalian Church voted to recognize same-sex marriage. I think this is a fantastic step toward equal rights for everyone. Like I said above, religion and churches are often a huge force in opposing same-sex couples, so it's always great to see when people go against this and welcome all people.

Again, share your thoughts below!

Also, I would love some kind of button for these discussion posts. If you would like to make one for us, please get in touch - lauren51990 AT aol DOT com


-Lauren Becker

Marriage Equality: Musicians Share Their Excitement

images from this post

Alternative Press magazine shared a post where they collected images from many musicians' twitter pages, showing how excited they are for marriage equality in the United States.

As a fan of many of these artists, I thought it was great to see their excitement and thoughts. They can influence a lot of people (especially younger fans) so it's nice to see them supporting something positive and very much important. In the above photo you can see Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy, Hayley from Paramore, and Mark Hoppus from Blink182.

Are there any artists you're a fan of that shared their excitement online?

-Lauren

We're Back in Time for Marriage Equality!

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We're back and what a great time to be returning. I started this blog (I being Lauren) in order to share LGBTQ news and entertainment that would suit a YA audience. That doesn't mean you have to be a young adult, of course, so everyone is welcome. Running blogs takes a lot of time and effort and as I already handle Shooting Stars Mag, I eventually stopped posting over here. I've been wanting to bring this back though, because I think it's important. Now that Marriage Equality has spread across the United States, I think it's a great time to come back to this blog.

It might now be legal for same-sex couples to get married anywhere in the United States, but that doesn't mean that everyone believes in equal rights. There will still be hatred and hurt feelings, and while I know this, I don't agree with it. I feel that everyone should be free to love who they love - free to marry (and they can in the U.S. and many other countries) but also free from angry words and other forms of discrimination.

So, here at Let's Get Beyond Tolerance, we hope to shed a positive light on LGBTQ issues and entertainment. We don't want just tolerance - we want acceptance. For all.

Thank you for reading, following, and helping us out in the past. We ask that you continue to do so in the future and please spread the word. If you have something you want us to talk about or feature, just get in touch: lauren51990 AT aol DOT com or leave a comment.

If you look at the sidebar of this blog you will see that the official authors of the blog are Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lee Bantle. They are still helping, so you'll see things from them soon! Official authors means that their work will be focused on here and there, and they will share their own thoughts about things, but we are obviously going to focus on a lot more in the LGBTQ entertainment world - so again, get in touch!

Here's to equality, here's to love.

-Lauren Becker