Katie Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It" raised a few eyebrows in this nation, since she was raised in a conservative evangelical family and had apparently gotten her start as a gospel singer. On Saturday while receiving the National Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign Gala, she admitted that she did more than kiss a girl when she was growing up:

“I’m just a singer-songwriter, honestly. 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, I did more than that,” she told the crowd, referencing her 2008 hit “I Kissed A Girl.” 

Perry, who grew up in a strict Christian family, continued: “How was I going to reconcile that with a gospel-singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps? What I did know is that I was curious and even then I knew sexuality wasn’t as black and white as this dress.”

The songstress mentioned that while she hasn’t “always gotten it right” throughout her career, she knew her first major single “started a conversation and a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to.” 

In her speech accepting an award for her work on behalf of the gay and lesbian community, she said she was taught that homosexuality was an abomination. However, she soon learned differently:

“These people were nothing like I had been taught to fear,” she said. “They were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people I have ever met. They stimulated my mind, and they filled my heart with joy, and they danced with joy while doing it. These people are actually magic, and they are magic because they are living their truth.”

Here's the thing. Being taught what the Bible says about sexuality and being "taught to fear" are two very different things. Isn't it a wonder that the most Christian nations are also the ones most tolerant of homosexuality? Muslim-dominated countries have given homosexuals prison and even death sentences for coming out of the closet. But in America, you can come out of the closet and Ed McMahon practically jumps out of the closet and hands you a check. Liberals are fond of accusing American Christians of all sorts of bad behavior. (Remember when a Muslim shot up a gay nightclub and liberals somehow tried to blame that evangelical Christians' unwillingness to embrace gay sex?)

No more. Believing in Biblical standards of sexuality is not the same as being, as Katy Perry insinuated, homophobic. American Christians are sick and tired of being accused of things they don't actually believe. I'm looking forward to the truly counter-cultural award for singer-songwriters who dare to defend people of faith against constant accusations of bigotry.

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