McEntire supports gay marriage

McEntire made the comments in a story posted at Pride Source, a gay issue web site.

McEntire, who has enjoyed support from the LGBT community, said equality and same sex marriages were "very important" to her. "I just went to my first gay wedding a couple of months ago in California for Michael and Steven, my two great friends. They've been together for 20 years! I thought that it was not fair, and I didn't understand why they couldn't get married. It wasn't because they just wanted to get married. If one of them had gotten injured and gone to the hospital, the other one couldn't make decisions for them. It's very upsetting. It's not only for convenience or for romantic reasons - it's for practicality. For practical reasons! I get a kick out of what Dolly said: "Why shouldn't they get married and be as miserable as the rest of us?"

" I don't understand why people have a problem with it," McEntire said of gay marriage. "I'm a very spiritual person, but I don't judge. I try not to; I'm only human. To each his own, and everybody is different. God did not make us all the same. So, I just pray for an open mind and a loving heart, and I think that's all I can do."

McEntire's comments come during a period when several in the country community have said they were gay including singer/songwriter Brandy Clark, songwriter Shane McAnally, Billy Gilman and Ty Herndon. Chely Wright previously announced she was gay.

Mc Entire said in the interview, "It's really, really sad what they're living with before they decide to come out. And then why they decide to come out, and how they deal with it after they've come out - the pressure society puts upon them, their families and what they put upon them, whether they accept it or they don't. You know, my new album is called "Love Somebody" ... I wish it'd been called "Love Everybody." You gotta love people for who they are. Accept them, and then go on with life."