Kelsea Ballerini champions inclusivity and activism at 2023 CMT Awards.

Kelsea Ballerini's performance at the CMT Music Awards featured drag queens and a rainbow flag backdrop, highlighting the threatened legality of drag performances in Tennessee. Ballerini emphasized the queens' moment to shine and celebrate their art, and her performance was seen as genuine creative reciprocity rather than a shallow attempt at courting a new demographic. Other female country artists, such as Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris, have also publicly supported LGBTQ+ rights and decried the Tennessee ban.