Gospel singer, Kim Burrell picked up the prestigious Aretha Franklin Award at the Stellar Music Awards in Las Vegas over the weekend.
The 51-year-old surprised many in the audience by using the opportunity to say she wished to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community.
Burrell is also a pastor. In 2017, she made headlines with a sermon she delivered at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church in Houston, during which said anyone who engages in homosexual acts is “perverted” and has been deceived by the “homosexual spirit.”
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She went on to warn those in attendance that those who “play with” homosexual sin would “die from it.”
Awkwardly, the sermon came a few days before Burrell was due to perform on The Ellen Degeneres Show. That invitation was quickly rescinded. Burrell also had her radio show canceled. It also came after she was a guest vocalist on the Frank Ocean album, Blonde, on the track “Godspeed”.
Talking to the media at the time, Burrell said her words had been “misrepresented.” However, she didn’t regret them and doubled down.
“To every person that is dealing with the homosexual spirit, that has it, I love you because God loves you,” she said. “But God hates the sin in you and me, anything that is against the nature of God.”
“Let’s give them a great big round of applause”
At the Stellar Awards on Saturday night, the singer said, “I want to apologize to the LGBTQ community. Let’s give them a great big round of applause. We want them to have strength and to sincerely know that we must all do the work to embrace all of God’s people and show forth His love to everyone.”
“I hope that this award and this moment can be the beginning of a bridge-building and listening to each other as we follow peace with all man and develop the character of God, which requires seeing God.”
Watch below.
Kim Burrell apologized to the LGBTQ community? One of the girls must’ve got ahold of Kim and read her 🤭 pic.twitter.com/CP8dNDwvX3
— Lil Plant Daddy 🌱 (@Druske) July 22, 2024
Not everyone appears ready to accept Burrell’s apology, however. Some appeared skeptical about her choice of words.
“Let’s give them a round of applause.” Girl, what???
— Him. (@memphis901_84) July 22, 2024
This is an apology?
— Write Life (@TheQueenMuse1) July 22, 2024
Let’s get her on Drag Race as a guest judge. I want one of the contestants to read her publicly!
— GospelofPop (@gospelofpop) July 22, 2024
Her background singers must’ve had a word or two 😌
— Brooklyn with ✌🏽 “Os” 🤭♑️🇧🇧 (@EatPrayBrooklyn) July 22, 2024
That was the most beleaguered performative apology I’ve ever seen.
— Lovey Howell (@EMCEE_PHATTUMS) July 22, 2024
The Stellar Awards will air on the Stellar Network on August 3rd at 8PM ET.
Jim
Glad Kim apologized but I’ve never heard of her.
If a tree falls in the forest. . . . .
dougie
Gurl could use some cosmetics coaching from a drag queen!
Mack
Guess I can do a “LOL” here, don’t know if the censors will block it but then they won’t know until they do. I used to love coming to this site and spending time, now it’s a 30 second visit and go to a more user friendly site. Saddest site on the internet. And YES IT AWAITING MODERATION. LOL.
Enuff
The damage is done. Is she gonna go back and unsay all that hurtful judgemental shit to the couple of hundred people that listened to her “sermon”? Tired of the fakeass apologies. i wonder how many folks lost jobs, housing, other opportunities, or got their asses kicked because of what she said. You work that out with your maker, honey. I dont need your fucking apology. And i would love a real journalist to do some digging in Kim’s closet. Im sure there’s some stuff in there that will require some forgiveness. My God loves me regardless. We are ALL sinners honey. If you actually read that book youre smacking us with, you’d know that. These people that perch themselves on their thrones of judgment and righteous indignation. Clean your own porch before you clean someone else’s.
dman
She sounds like she’s still preaching from the pulpit in this video clip!
barryaksarben
im in my 60s and I have never doubted that the type of christianity practiced in this country is as homophobic as any institution in history. Here is a perfect example of some ignorant so called christian awakes to the fact that she is SUPPOSED to be a loving person who treats others as she wishes to be treated. They are not to be trusted. The Mormons are a perfect example as they get caught funneling millions to anti gay group-s, gets outed , promises not to do it again then of course does it again. Not only do you need to be out you need to make sure your loved ones dont hate the rest of us and think of you as a special kind of gay while the rest of us are still disgusting. We are all the same in the end – all gay so therefore all of us are their targets, man, woman gay and trans and all the other letters . dont hate and separate. United we stand divided we fall
Cam
May have had something to do with the loss of her show.
toddlicious
Kim who?????
Kangol2
Too late but apology noted.
James
IN OTHER WORDS…….. HER CAREER WENT NOWHERE.