Gay Gospel Artists

Is it possible to be gay and a Christian? Can I be a homosexual and have a spiritual life? If we were to listen to the advice of others we would probably answer these questions with a resounding no. I was told repeatedly in my church that homosexuals would never see the kingdom of God. Ironically several of the individuals that preached this message to me turned out to be same gender loving. Funny huh?

So is it possible for a gospel artist to come out of the closet and still have a career? Until recently I'd never heard of an out gospel artist. There have been rumors of many that were possibly closeted. Then there is Donnie McClurkin who claims to be delivered from his homosexual lifestyle by the "loving power of Jesus."

A couple of months ago gospel artist Tonex came out of the closet and I was so thrilled by this announcement. I was excited about him coming out and I was even more delighted to learn that he has not denounced his Christianity. He was quick to say that he can be gay and still have a relationship with God.

Today, while visiting AfterEllen.com I learned about another out gospel artist, Rizi Nasele Timane. Maybe this is the new trend. First hip hop and now Christian music. Gay musicians are boldly going where no homo would go befo. And it's a terrific thing. Having positive affirming role models who are comfortable in their skin and still able to press forward on their spiritual paths are needed in the LGBT community.

I know many LGBT individuals that describe themselves as "ex-Catholic" or "recovering Baptist." These are individuals that feel that they can no longer be associated with a church. Interesting since the church is a place that we should be able to go to for solace and balm. It should be the place we can go for support and encouragement. The church should not be a place that puts fear and damnation on the heart of its memebers. But we know that for many that is exactly what the church has become. For many of us the church has become one of the most judgemental and prejudice places we've encountered.

My thing is this, I don't have a problem with Christianity it's the Christians that generally give me grief. My relationship with my Saviour is just fine. But for some reason men want to deny me this. For some reason they feel it is okay to define my relationship with God for me. I've heard the quote from Leviticus too many times to remember. "Man shall not lie with man as he doe with woman." And although this same book also declares shaving your beard, eating seafood, and planting two crop in one garden as a sin also, the "man shall not lie with man . . ." is the only law that seems to be mentioned today. It seems our ministers are picking and choosing which laws they want to endorse. But I digress.

I want to say kudos to these two individuals for holding firm to their faith and still being able to come out as gay and lesbian. Two words to describe them - courage and conviction. Hopefully, following these trendsetters, we will see more individuals in gospel music come out. Get into the interview where Tonex comes out here. And check out (and order) music from Rizi here.