Pro-Queer Christian Singer Amy Grant Disappoints Homophobes Once Again By Being, You Know, a Good Person
Grant recently commented on weird controversy around decision to host lesbian wedding
Aunt Amy is proving once again that she has no time for haters who have a problem with her and husband Vince Gill hosting her lesbian niece’s wedding on the couple’s Tennessee farm late last year. As Pride Source reported in December, the couple happily hosted the family’s “first bride and bride” wedding at their Hidden Trace Farm near Nashville.
The Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, who was recently honored at the Kennedy Awards, told PEOPLE she’s avoided the social media firestorm that erupted after various outlets reported on her decision to host the wedding as a vocal Christian.
“I never chase any of those rabbits down the rabbit hole,” Grant told the outlet. “I love my family, I love those brides. They’re wonderful, our family is better, and you should be able to be who you are with your family and be loved by them.”
Grant has spent her decades-long career reconciling her personal beliefs with the expectations that often creep in from less accepting Christians, especially among the far right evangelical camp. It’s a delicate dance sometimes for openly religious artists to embrace the LGBTQ+ community, but the singer has never waivered on this front.Last night as I watched the Kennedy Center Honors, what I thought about was ALL the many people who have stood by my side, dreamed with me, encouraged me, written songs with me, recorded with me, performed with me and prayed for me. This moment was for all of us. - XO Amy pic.twitter.com/c55HymKf0P
— Amy Grant (@amygrant) December 29, 2022
When queer country music star Brandi Carlile presented Grant and the band U2 with the Kennedy Center Honors, Carlile commented on how important this allyship can be. “They walk through the world with love and justice on their sleeve. They operate from a basis of their faith, and as a person sort of marginalized by major world religions and faith structures, the way that they’ve embraced LGBTQIA publicly I think does a lot for my people and for the trauma that we have experienced at the hands of the faith and organized religion.”
Grant’s niece’s wedding was especially poignant for the family as the couple was married in the same area where she and Gill exchanged vows 23 years ago. “They were just looking for a beautiful place to get married,” Grant told PEOPLE. “So, she and Sam got married on the same hillside where Vince and I got married.”