The Concert for Love & Acceptance Tenth Anniversary Show Will Kick Off CMA Fest

Annual  Event Set For Monday, June 2 At Newly Renamed Category 10

Nashville, Tennessee – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, and groundbreaking country music star Ty Herndon are coming together once again to announce the return of the Concert for Love & Acceptance, celebrating its 10th anniversary on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 7:30 PM. The event returns to Category 10—formerly known as Wildhorse Saloon, where it has hosted unforgettable performances in years past—to kick off the week of CMA Fest.

“Reaching this 10-year milestone is incredibly special,” said Herndon. “The journey we’ve been on, building a space where artists and fans alike feel supported and uplifted, is something I’m so proud of. Returning to Category 10, where so many of our incredible past performances took place, makes this year even more meaningful.”

Founded in 2015, the Concert for Love & Acceptance has become a premier event during the week of CMA Fest dedicated to fostering a more inclusive country music community of fans and artists. Proceeds from the event support Ty Herndon’s Foundation For Love and Acceptance, which has a dual focus on supporting the LGBTQ community alongside support for mental health and addiction and trauma recovery.  

The 2025 lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. Previous events have included appearance and performances by Maddie & Tae, Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Desmond Child, Wendy Moten, Billy Gilman, Shelly Fairchild, Justin Fabus, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Brothers Osborne, Jake Owen, Kristin Chenoweth, Chely Wright, Tanya Tucker, Brett Young, Michael Ray, Mickey Guyton, Chris Daughtry, Lily Rose, and many more.

Tickets are on sale now, and fans are encouraged to secure their seats early for this highly anticipated celebration. For tickets and more information, visit https://www.f4la.org/.

ABOUT GLAAD

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

ABOUT TY HERNDON

Ty Herndon has lived a life and career of extreme highs and lows and celebrates a critical milestone in country music as his record-breaking debut single “What Mattered Most” turns thirty in 2025. Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three number ones and seventeen top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in 1996 with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.” Ty continued to break new ground throughout the next decade, releasing a Greatest Hits collection, as well as the albums “Right About Now,” “Lies I Told Myself,” and the Grammy-nominated “Journey On.” 

In 2015 he became the first major male country music artist to come out as gay and released the critically acclaimed albums “House on Fire” and “Got It Covered” and launched the annual Concert For Love & Acceptance. His 2022 album JACOB spawned the country radio hits “Till You Get There” and “Dents on a Chevy,” a duet with Terri Clark that spent 7 weeks atop the independent country radio charts, becoming the number one independent country single of 2023. For more info, visit www.tyherndon.com.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR LOVE & ACCEPTANCE

The Foundation for Love & Acceptance, founded by Ty Herndon, is dedicated to harnessing the power of music and media to support mental health and addiction recovery, LGBTQ+ and other at-risk youth, and Nashville’s country music community. Organizations that have benefited from the Foundation include GLAAD, MusiCares, ACM Lifting Lives, the Oasis LGBTQ Youth Center in Nashville, Bianca Page Day, and more. In 2021, the Foundation partnered with education provider Everfi to implement a mental health wellness education program, reaching over 300 schools across Mississippi, Kansas, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington, DC.