Grace Semler Baldridge, 31 years old is still a preacher’s kid.
Born in a rectory, the musician didn't think she would ever write an album about her religious upbringing. Baldridge was left with no choice but to concentrate on her music after the pandemic.
"Preacher’s Kid" is a musical exploration of growing up in Christianity and how it influenced her decision to embrace her queer identity. She recorded the songs with her small microphone and laptop. The album reached No. 1 in February 2021 under the stage name Semler. It reached No. 1 on the iTunes Christian Music Charts, which is a first for an openly gay and firmly Christian artist.
She told CBS News that she didn't want "to deal with [my religion relationship] anymore." "But, I think there was a lot of healing that I had to do. To get rid of it, I created the project. It opened up new questions, new ideas, and themes that inspired me. It also gave me a sense of community that I didn’t know existed.
Baldridge is one example of queer artists and creators who are not afraid to embrace their faith or turn away from it.
Social media is perhaps the most visible way to see the connection between God and homosexuality. Data showing a clear divide between the mainstream religious community and the LGBTQ+ community could make it easy for those queer people who feel comfortable in their sexuality to abandon their religious upbringings.
Social media has been a useful tool for LGBTQ+ members to connect with other people who are doing the exact same thing and unpack their relationship with religion and church in recent years.
The hashtag #exvangelical is currently viewed almost 873.1 Million times on TikTok. Specific iterations have received between 50,000 to 43 million additional views. These videos feature people explaining why they left their church or sharing some of their religious experiences that have had an impact on their self-worth.
Baldridge's music was extremely popular during the pandemic. She attributes this to her unique experience of growing up in two different worlds.
When asked why people can relate to her music so much, she said, "It came from a place where it was brutal honesty and frustration." This is always going to be relatable."
"For so many years, I tried to be a certain version of myself. It was only when I could be myself, and accept myself as holy, that I found the best expression. You also find others who can relate.
Badridge acknowledges that it wasn't easy to find inner peace in a religion that doesn't accept her. Many discussions about LGBTQ+ rights in the United States have been seen as a battle between the religious and queer communities.
Conversion therapy was a practice that was rooted in the belief that homosexuality is a disease that can cure. It has been condemned by conservative Christian denominations. The American Medical and Psychological Associations continue to denounce the process as ineffective and dangerous. CBS "Sunday Morning” reported that 700,000 Americans have been through conversion programs.
Further back, many religious people saw the 1980s' HIV-AIDS epidemic as a curse sent by God to punish queerness.
Tony Award-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson said that AIDS was something he heard growing up. Jackson stated that he was not only leaving the church for this reason, but that he felt that he needed to find another spiritual home.
His Broadway show, "A Strange Loop," won the Tony Award earlier this month for Best Musical. It tells the story about Usher, a Broadway usher who must deal with his queerness.
Jackson stated, "It's been talked about in a very flippant manner, like, well...He shouldn't be out there living that homosexual lifestyle." Jackson described a scene in which Usher pushes back at hurtful comments he's heard regarding queerness, and shows his mother the consequences of constant exposure to damnation. All of these things add up and have an effect. The church can often be used as a scaffolding to withstand the blunt force of this kind of rhetoric."
An Archives of Suicide Research study from 2015 found that LGBTQ+ teens and young people aged 18-24 were almost twice as likely to commit suicide or self-harm if their parents hold a religious belief about homosexuality.
Baldridge stated that she was "shut down" when she heard about homosexuality in youth groups, which were often associated with shame.
A Trevor Project report from 2018 found that teens were more likely to believe what their parents said about religion and queerness than what their parents told them. This was in direct correlation with teens coming out to their parents about their gender identity or orientation. According to the report, LGBTQ+ acceptance in religion may help prevent teens from becoming more violent.
There are still affirming churches that support LGBTQ+ communities, but many others believe queerness is sinful and not what God intended. This results in a strained relationship between the belief in God and same-sex relationships. Queer youth are constantly affected by this tension.
Casey McQuiston, author, stated that this generation is much more optimistic about the prospects of queer teens and young adults forming better relationships with their religions and identities because of their relationship with social media.
Their book, "I Kissed Shara Wheeler," is set in a small Christian school located in the South. Her protagonist must reconcile her hatred of her religious community with the joy it brings her.
"Information on queerness is much easier to find online, so I am optimistic these kids will be in a position to find information and spaces that will counter the information they are being fed at school and help them feel less alone." McQuiston stated to CBS News. So, hopefully they'll still have some of their lasting baggage but they'll have a greater life raft than people my age.
Jackson described his musical as a life raft he built to get through each day as a "Black homosexual man" when he received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical in 2022. According to Jackson, the church was not his home but his knowledge of religion helped him find a new place in his theater community.
"I ran screaming from the church because it was too confining, due to a lot the orthodoxy surrounding how the church views homosexuality. Jackson stated that Jackson felt like he needed a break from all that. But over the years, I have felt like theater has been my new religion and church. It is art and trying to bring people together to worship in theater and music. This has provided me with a transcendent experience I don't think that I ever had in church.
Baldridge said that while it hurts to see children and teens relate to her church treatment, she also finds joy in seeing young people still have space for a relationship to religion. Baldridge also said that she finds strength in the way queer religious people take parts of their faith (like hope, radical love, reclamation) and make them part of their own queer culture.
Baldridge stated, "That's how my music would be described," "'F*** you, God can love me.'"
McQuiston Jackson, Baldridge, and Jackson all stated that they made their art to contextualize their lives, despite the complexity and variety of their work. The artists all acknowledge that their work may be what helps queer kids love themselves and the world around them. They welcome this openly.
Baldridge stated, "I believe being a queer person or faith means that you are always inclined towards resilience and hope." Reclamation is a form of queer culture for many queer people. They are able to reclaim language, music, and prayers that have served them in this radical, unconditional, and hopeful way. I believe it to be God. We don't have to abandon that just because someone else says we don't belong.
