GLAAD has responded to Kim Burrell’s apology to the LGBTQ+ community, marking it as a “first step toward full accountability.” Burrell’s apology came during her acceptance of the Aretha Franklin Icon Award at the 2024 Stellar Awards.
Darian Aaron, GLAAD’s Director of Local News for the U.S. South, highlighted the significance of Burrell’s apology. “Black LGBTQ people who remain in traditional faith communities are very familiar with the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric Burrell and others have espoused throughout her career,” he stated. “We are well-versed in the ‘lingo and jargon’ of Black church culture and a gospel music industry that benefits from our gifts but demands us to be silent about our truth.”
Aaron emphasized the integral role Black LGBTQ individuals play in the Black church and gospel music. “Burrell’s speech is evidence of a tipping point where Burrell, the Black church, and the gospel music industry can recognize and accept us all as people of faith and as worthy of Black liberation as anyone else,” he added.
Burrell’s Public Apology
Burrell’s apology follows years of controversial remarks about the LGBTQ+ community. During her acceptance speech, she acknowledged the hurt her words have caused. “I have, over the course of time and with much soul-searching, come to fully understand the reach and impact of my voice beyond Gospel music,” Burrell admitted. She continued, “There is such a care to take when you realize you’re not just preaching to the choir anymore.”
Addressing the LGBTQ+ community directly, Burrell apologized for her past words. “We have a church lingo. We have a church jargon that everybody doesn’t get. And sometimes you have to say it for the people in the back. And for that, I want to apologize to the LGBTQ community,” she stated. “We want them to have strength and to sincerely know that we must all do the work to embrace all of what God’s people—and show forth his love to everyone.”
Burrell’s apology followed a 2017 sermon where she made homophobic remarks. The fallout included the cancellation of her appearance on the Ellen Show.
GLAAD, alongside Houston-based LGBTQ, HIV, and faith leaders, engaged with Burrell before the Stellar Awards to urge public recognition of past harms and promote bridge-building. The 39th annual Stellar Awards will air on August 3 on BET.