Gay Christian singer: I was taught in church that God hated homosexuality
Christian rock singer Trey Pearson has spoken about his experiences in the closet for 20 years – after he came out as gay.
Pearson, lead singer of popular Christian band Everyday Sunday, came out to fans in an emotional letter earlier this week.
The singer has two children with his wife Lauren, but after two decades in the closet he was finally able to admit to himself and the world he is gay.
Pearson spoke to the panel on The View about his conservative upbringing and how it influenced his choice to remain in the closet.
He explained: “I grew up in a Christian home and church, where I was taught that God hated homosexuality, and I could choose to be straight.
“I tried for a really long time. I don’t think I was every trying to lie to anyone, I was trying to convince myself I could be something I wasn’t.
“I put all my faith into that, and it’s scary because a lot of the church continues to teach that this is a choice. They don’t realise how damaging it can be.”
He added that there needs to be more change within the church because “there are still people teaching these hurtful things”.
He continued: “I’ve always had attractions to other guys since adolescence, but they’ve always been things I felt really guilty about and horrible about, so I tried to push them down.
“It’s not like I was trying to hope some miracle would happen by getting married [to a woman]… I just put all my faith into thinking that’s how it was supposed to be.”
The singer added that his wife had been incredibly supportive, and that his conservative family has also started to embrace him.
Pearson said: “The day that my story came out, [my dad] showed up on my porch… he knocked on the door and just hugged me for 10 minutes and told me how much he loved me.”
He said he will take some time to adapt to his new reality before he starts dating.
Christian singer Vicky Beeching came out in 2014.
