Kacey Musgraves 1st Country Star to Play GLAAD Awards, Slammed by Anti-Gay Pastor

It was announced this week that two-time Grammy Award-winning country star Kacey Musgraves will be the first country musician to sing at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City next month, as On Top Magazine points out. But despite the landmark performance, Musgraves is being called out for her pro-pray stance, specifically for her LGBT equality country jam "Follow Your Arrow," by a pastor known for spewing anti-gay remarks.

According to Right Wing Watch, Pastor Kevin Swanson took issue with Musgraves, 25, in a recent radio broadcast, saying she would have been executed for "promoting homosexuality" due to the lyrics in her single, "Follow Your Arrow."

"If she had sang [sic] that thing in a country bar in the 1920s or 1880s in Denver, Colorado, somebody would've called for a rope," he proclaimed. "She would not have made it out of town."

Swanson added that Musgraves is promoting "the abandonment of the traditional church."

"That's critical for the dismantling of the Christian faith in the heartland," the pastor said.

This isn't the first time Swanson has made anti-gay remarks. In January it was reported he, along with another Christian pastor, wanted a repeal or variance on the Biblical edict "Let he without sin..." with the suggestion that a well-attended parade might include a float featuring the stoning of a gay man. In another article, Right Wing Watch reports Swanson also claimed earlier this year that Disney's "Frozen" tried to "indoctrinate" kids into being gay and "homosexuality [and] bestiality in a light sort of way."

Critics hailed "Follow Your Arrow," off Musgraves' fantastic debut 2013 LP "Same Trailer Different Park," for its lyrical content and composition, with Billboard placing it as the second best song of 2013. Many have said the track signals a shift in country music - that a new wave of upcoming young and inclusive country stars will embrace the LGBT community.

On "Follow Your Arrow," which peaked at No. 60 on Billboard Hot 100, Musgraves sings the chorus: Make lots of noise / Kiss lots of boys / Or kiss lots of girls, if that's something you're into / When the straight and narrow gets a little too straight / Roll up a joint (or don't) / Just follow your arrow wherever it points."

Openly gay country singer Chelly Wright will introduce Musgraves, who nabbed a Grammy for Best Country song and Best Country Album in January, during the 25th GLAAD Media Awards on May 3.

"America's heartland is changing and support for equality continues to grow across party lines, in our faith institutions, and in country music," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. "Kacey Musgraves is ushering in a new era in the country music industry, where supporting all loving families is now a core country value. It's only fitting then that Kacey is to become the first country music artist to perform at the New York GLAAD Media Awards."

Musgraves, who also won a Country Music Award for New Artist of the Year in 2013 and an American Country Award for Album of the Year, will be joined by pop star and gay icon Kylie Minogue, who will also perform at the event.

You can listen to Swanson's Musgrave remarks over at Right Wing Watch's Soundcloud page by clicking here. Also, check out the music video for "Follow Your Arrow" below: