Quinoa Queen and pop icon Katy Perry gave a powerful account of her past struggles with her sexuality in a speech for the Human Rights Campaign Gala on Saturday night.
Accepting the National Equality Award, Perry told the audience that as a young person she would "pray the gay away" at Christian conversion camps.
"My first words were Momma and Poppa, God and Satan," she told the crowd of LGBTQ community members and allies. "Right and wrong were taught to me on felt boards … When I was growing up, homosexuality was synonymous with the word abomination."
She told the audience: "I speak my truths and I paint my fantasies into these little bite size pop songs. For instance, 'I kissed a girl and I liked it.' Truth be told -- a) I did more than that, but b) how was I going to reconcile that with a gospel singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps?"
She continued: "I wondered how was I going to reconcile that with the gospel singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps … I prayed the gay away at my Jesus camps."
However, when she was welcomed into the music industry, she found that she was also welcomed into the LGBTQ community. "These people were nothing like I'd been taught to fear. They were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people."
Perry has promised that she'll be bringing fans even more politically-infused "purposeful pop" in the near future.
Topics LGBTQ
