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American Idol star David Archuleta appeared as part of the LGBTQ community in an Instagram post where he also spoke about his religious beliefs and called for sympathy from believers.
The 30-year-old singer was runner-up on the seventh season of American Idol and has since released eight albums (including the immortal pop “Crash”). As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his music was also featured in the 2014 documentary Meet the Mormons, which the church co-produced.
“I don’t feel comfortable sharing it, but I felt like I needed to raise awareness for people in my same situation and let you know you’re not alone,” he wrote in the post on Saturday. “You can be part of the LGBTQIA+ community and still believe in God and His evangelical plan.”
Archuleta said he first came out to his family in 2014 as gay, but “after that I had similar feelings for both genders, so maybe there’s a bisexual spectrum.” He added that he also learned that he might identify as asexual.
He said he wrestled with his religious beliefs and sexuality for many years and described the “exhausting journey” it can take to reconcile the two.
“Think about what to do and I don’t have all the answers. I just invite you to think about making room to be more understanding and empathic for those who are LGBTQIA+, those who are part of this community and trying to find that balance with their faith which is also a big part of who they are like yourself.” “I think we can do better as Christian and Christian people, including Latter-day Saints, to listen more to the struggle between being gay+ and being a Christian.”
He said that after many years of fighting for his identity, he believes God created him as he is for a purpose. He also called for heterosexual Christians to empathize – even if they didn’t quite understand.
He wrote, “Even if I leave as many questions about faith and sexuality as I do, I believe that being open to both questions and faith is the way we receive answers. God bless those who ask.” “So let us continue to ask and seek, and be merciful and patient.”
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