Arts & Entertainment
Christian rocker Trey Pearson comes out to fans
the married frontman says ‘I have never felt so free’
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Everyday Sunday frontman Trey Pearson came out in an open letter to his fans on Tuesday and revealed his road to accepting his sexuality.
The 35-year-old singer, who is married with two children, revealed he was gay in the letter published by Religious News Services.
“I never wanted to be gay. I was scared of what God would think and what all of these people I loved would think about me,” Pearson wrote. “But if this honesty with myself about who I am, and who I was made by God to be, doesn’t constitute as the peace that passes all understanding, then I don’t know what does. It is like this weight I have been carrying my whole life has been lifted from me, and I have never felt such freedom.”
Pearson continued that he had been “suppressing these attractions and feelings since adolescence.” He says he tried his whole life to be straight, even marrying a woman and having children. Eventually Pearson quietly came out to a few people, including his wife.
While driving for Uber, a side job Pearson had picked up to make extra money, he revealed to a passenger that he was gay and the only person who knew was his wife. The stranger was Travis Hoewischer, a writer for Ohio magazine 614 Columbus.
Hoewischer ended up writing an editorial on Pearson for the magazine.
“There is a weight that has been lifted, and I have never felt so free. I cannot even believe the joy and lightness I feel from being able to accept myself, and love myself, for who I truly am … but I have also lost some of the closest people in my life,” Pearson told 614 Columbus.
“I have felt betrayal by people I loved a lot, and cared so much about. I have had some church people act like the worst people I have ever experienced in my life. I have some people in my life who I have felt a shift in the way they love me, and the way they see me. I want to be loved for who I am, not in spite of who I am. I’m starting over in so many ways. It is freeing, but it’s also starting out lonely,” Pearson says.
Everyday Sunday was founded in 1997 and its 2009 album “Best Night of Our Lives” broke into the Billboard Top 200 list.
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Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 45 years at annual gala
‘Sapphire & Sparkle’ Spring Affair held at the Ritz Carlton
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington held the annual Spring Affair gala at the Ritz Carlton Washington, D.C. on Saturday. The theme for this year’s fete was “Sapphire & Sparkle.” The chorus celebrated 45 years in D.C. with musical performances, food, entertainment, and an awards ceremony.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Executive Director Justin Fyala and Artistic Director Thea Kano gave welcoming speeches. Opening remarks were delivered by Spring Affair co-chairs Tracy Barlow and Tomeika Bowden. Uproariously funny comedian Murray Hill performed a stand-up set and served as the emcee.
There were performances by Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington groups Potomac Fever, 17th Street Dance, the Rock Creek Singers, Seasons of Love, and the GenOUT Youth Chorus.
Anjali Murthy, a member of the chorus and a graduate of the GenOUT Youth Chorus, addressed the attendees of the gala.
“The LGBTQ+ community isn’t bound by blood ties: we are brought together by shared experience,” Murthy said. “Being Gen Z, I grew up with Ellen [DeGeneres] telling me through the TV screen that it gets better: that one day, it’ll all be okay. The sentiment isn’t wrong, but it’s passive. What I’ve learned from GMCW is that our future is something we practice together. It exists because people like you continue to show up for it, to believe in the possibilities of what we’re still becoming”
The event concluded with the presentation of the annual Harmony Awards. This year’s awardees included local drag artist and activist Tara Hoot, the human rights organization Rainbow Railroad as well as Rocky Mountain Arts Association Executive Director, Dr. Chipper Dean.
(Washington Blade photos and videos by Michael Key)
Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 16.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Photos
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(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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