Openly gay Ray Boltz performs in Anchorage, July 11
Ray Boltz is performing in Anchorage on July 11 — and the concert is FREE! Yes, that’s right, you can hear this acclaimed gay singer perform for free by registering HERE before they run out of tickets.
Ray Boltz sold over 4.5 million records and was the recipient of two Dove awards before coming out as a gay man and retiring from Christian music. After a five year break from the stage, Boltz recorded True, with songs about same-sex marriage (“Don’t Tell Me Who to Love”), bias crimes (“Swimming Hole”), and the conservative claim of a gay ‘agenda’ (“Following Her Dreams”).
“Don’t Tell Me Who To Love” was featured in this Soulforce video on Prop 8. Check it out:
In several of the songs on True, Boltz tries to reconcile being gay with his Christian faith.
“I don’t believe God hates me anymore,” said Boltz in an interview with the New York Times. “I always thought if people knew the true me, they’d be disgusted, and that included God. But for all the doubts, there’s this new belief that God accepts me and created me, and there’s peace.”
Both Bolz and his ex-wife Carol have been vilified by religious extremists for becoming LGBT advocates. She manages his website and blogs her support at My Heart Goes Out.
Mrs. Boltz also realizes better than anyone how many former fans vehemently object. She fields the e-mail messages that pour into the Web site, the ones that say, “We will be destroying all your cds cassettes etc immediately” and “Instead of converting to man-love, why not goat love?”
Ugh. Sounds like something Prevo would say. So if you enjoy gay-themed songs or contemporary Christian music, go to this free concert and support Ray Boltz in his return to the stage as an openly-gay man. And bring your straight Christian friends and relatives! They need to hear his message as much as LGBT people do.
The Anchorage concert is sponsored by the Metropolitan Community Church (MCCA) and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. For more on Boltz and his tour with another recently out singer Azariah Southworth, visit the Living True tour.
Tags: Christianity, Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage (MCCA), Ray Boltz, video