Miranda Lambert Explains Why She Cried When Brother Gave Her Permission to Post Pride Photos

Country singer Miranda Lambert didn’t know that when she posted photos of herself enjoying a Pride parade over the summer — which she recalls as “one of the happiest days” — she would cause controversy among some music fans.

“I didn’t even realize it was making a statement because I just thought it was normal,” Lambert, 35, told Pride Source. “… I didn’t think it was stepping out of bounds or anything because to me it’s all the same; it doesn’t matter.”

The Grammy winner attended New York City’s LGBTQ celebrations in June, alongside her brother, Luke Lambert, and his husband. Lambert’s spouse, NYPD officer Brendan McLoughlin, also joined her during the day.

When consulting her brother about sharing photos that they’d taken during Pride, Lambert said the two got emotional when he gave permission to post for her nearly 4 million Instagram followers to see.

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“We both cried because it was such a big moment,” she said. “I see now, talking about it, why it’s a big moment for other people, because it was a big moment for us too.”

She added: “I’m just glad that he was okay with that, and we could share that moment and be supportive of each other no matter what we’re doing or who we are.”

After the post went live, Lambert was saddened when she saw some followers spreading hate in the comment section, some fans even denouncing her as an artist, pledging not to listen to her music anymore.

“I feel like the people who commented negatively weren’t my followers,” Lambert said. “When people say ‘unfollow,’ they weren’t following me to begin with.”

She had a direct message to haters: “I don’t understand why people have time to get on social media and be negative. I think they should get a hobby or a job, or both.”

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In the interview, Lambert gushed about her brother, saying she supports him “100 percent in whatever he does” — even if he doesn’t count himself a country music fan.

“He is a brilliant individual and the most amazing person, and just so genuine,” she said.

The siblings grew up in conservative Lindale, Texas, during a time she characterized as “not the best” when it came to acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

“I love the town I grew up in — they are so supportive of me and always have been — but it definitely is good to get out and see other views,” she said.

Lambert said she doesn’t let the negative commenters outweigh the positivity and joy she experienced during her memorable Pride outing.

“I’ve never seen that many people in that great of a mood in one place in my life. It was so cool, and there was glitter and rainbows everywhere,” she recalled, adding, “Almost every single person just felt like being exactly who they were and I felt comfortable. In a city full of strangers, it was like this community bond and I’ve never experienced anything like that.”