Kacey Musgraves Says She Would 'Jump in Front of a Moving Train' for the LGBTQ Community

"We can do better," 2022 GLAAD Media Awards vanguard award-recipient Kacey Musgraves tells PEOPLE of her home state of Texas, calling on lawmakers to stop targeting the LGBTQ community

Kacey Musgraves attends the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 02, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo: Steven Simione/FilmMagic

Kacey Musgraves takes her role as an ally deadly serious.

The Star-Crossed artist, 33, told PEOPLE she "would jump in front of a moving train for the LGBTQ community" on the red carpet of Saturday's 33rd GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills. She was presented with the vanguard award before performing her hit song, "Rainbow," at the event.

"So, to feel the love of the community in this room, I'm really honored," Musgraves added. "There's so many icons and innovators here tonight. And I genuinely feel like I would not be where I am without the support and love of them."

She also reflected on making the country music genre a more inclusive space for her LGBTQ followers, recounting a heartfelt interaction she had with one fan.

"One of the biggest compliments, hands down, that I've ever gotten in my career, was a gay country fan saying, 'You know what, you have made me feel like I'm finally invited to a party that I've never been invited to,'" Musgraves recalled. "And that killed me in the best way possible.

RELATED VIDEO: Kacey Musgraves on Her 'Fight' for the LGBTQ+ Community to 'Be Included' in Country Music

"Because I see it as country music is a genre that was built on stories about real life, about real people, and I don't know why that would exclude anyone's perspective. Because we're all made of the same things, we all want the same things, we're all driven by the same emotions. It's just wrapped up in a bunch of different bows," she explained.

Musgraves also called out her home state of Texas over their "very shameful" efforts against the LGBTQ community (After signing a bill in October that bans K-12 trans students from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a letter in February asking gender-affirming care for trans minors be investigated as "child abuse").

"It's a really scary time, it's kind of unbelievable that we still live [in] this time where personal freedoms and preferences are under attack like that," Musgraves said, adding: "I'm very proud to be a Texan, but I don't like how the state has handled anything in that category, to be honest, and I just think that we can do better."

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