Christian Singer Jennifer Knapp Comes Out

Award-winning Christian pop singer Jennifer Knapp discusses her return to music from a soul-searching hiatus and reveals how she reconciled her spiritual life with her sexuality.

By Emily Drabinski

JENNIFER KNAPP MAIN X390 (EMI) | ADVOCATE.COM

When Jennifer Knapp settles in for coffee and a conversation in a midtown Manhattan apartment, a surprising Australian drawl comes tripping out of her mouth. “Do I really?” she laughs when I tell her she sounds Aussie-born and bred, even though she has roots in Kansas and music ties that are thoroughly Nashville. “I’m easing back into my Southern drawl,” she says with a laugh, but she’s not quite there yet.

The accent is earned — Knapp spent much of the past eight years living in Sydney, traveling through the outback “when I needed to be in touch with the earth.” In September 2002, Knapp, now 33, walked away from her career as a million-record-selling, multiple-Dove-award winning Christian singer-songwriter. On the lineup of the first Lilith Fair, she had crossover appeal even then, though her name is most indelibly known to the fans of “Jesus music.”

The rumors dogged her then as they dog her now. They said Jennifer Knapp canceled all her gigs and sold every inch of gear save one acoustic guitar because she was a lesbian. She stopped answering her e-mail, going months without talking even to her mother or her manager, because she was a lesbian. She dropped out of sight because she was a lesbian. And now, poised to release her first studio album in years, Jennifer Knapp is ready to face those rumors.

Turns out they’re true: Jennifer Knapp is a lesbian.

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Reader Comments

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Name: VoZ
Date posted: 11/28/2011 5:33:12 AM
Hometown: KZOO

Comment:
Well said.
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Name: Myriah Fitts
Date posted: 5/6/2011 3:09:48 PM
Hometown: Savannah

Comment:
GOD set the boundaries concerning sex for our protection because HE loves us! Sex is a gift given to be shared between a husband and wife, not boyfriends and girlfriends or in any context outside of the holy, GOD-ordained institution of marriage between a man and woman. Everything else is considered sin and shall be judged by HIM only. The scriptures in the Bible, His holy, inerrant Word, are clear regarding HIS stance here. Just because Jesus did not say anything specific regarding homosexuality does not mean the rules changed. In truth, Jesus alluded to all sexual sins that were listed in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, by placing them under an umbrella. To say homosexuality is allowed is to say that Beasteality, or incest, or any other manner of perverse sexual orientation is acceptable when in fact, it is not! GOD said that sexual sin is against the the body (temple of the holy spirit) and therefore it is more serious than shellfish ! I LOVE Jennifer Knapp and will be praying
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Name: Wendy
Date posted: 4/29/2011 7:10:11 PM
Hometown: New Buffalo, MI

Comment:
This remark is deluded and possibly mentally diminished. Jennifer Knapp is brave and also honest. I saw her in person and she was both raw and extremely talented.
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Name: Deborah
Date posted: 11/29/2010 8:41:05 PM
Hometown: Vancouver

Comment:
to the Christians on here that think loving people of the same sex is like smoking, or murdering, no it's not. It's very painful to try to suppress your desires, it's harmful your your health. Many gay people have killed themselves because they could not deal with the pain of having to be something they were not. On the other hand people don't kill themselves because they can't smoke or murder, and people aren't born smokers, craving a cigarette through no choice of their own.
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Name: kristin
Date posted: 10/25/2010 11:45:39 PM
Hometown: Singapore

Comment:
We are all sinners and we all have a long way to go in terms of living a holy Christian lifestyle. I am straight and I do not approve of homosexuality, but I do accept gays and lesbians and do not hate them. It is akin to having a friend who is a smoker. Sure, I'm a non-smoker and I do not like smoking, thus do not agree with it, but if my friend whom I respect and love in Christ chooses to smoke despite my dislike for the smoke that fills the surrounding air, I just tolerate it. Same thing with homosexuality. I believe Jennifer's coming out and yet being Christian is similar to saying, "I am Christian, but I like to murder people whenever I get really pissed off, but I know Jesus will cleanse me of my sins, so I can continue to murder unitl His kingdom comes." That's just taking His grace for granted. yes, I am a sinner and I still commit sins but there is a difference to commit sin, feel guilty and repent from it compared to sinning and thinking it's alright and not repent at all.
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Name: tia35
Date posted: 8/24/2010 11:55:21 PM
Hometown: Ottumwa

Comment:
If the gays are gonna be put down then they should put down all the sinners such as single parenting and such like sex outside of marriage and living with a non married parnter. i cannot throw stone being a single parent. i don not regret it one bit at all. i love my child and if god did not give me his grace then i would't be here. jesus died for all sins and not only one.
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Name: Darion
Date posted: 8/23/2010 9:05:35 AM
Hometown: Liberty University

Comment:
I'll tell you what, Jennifer Knapp has a lot of courage. Christians can be a bunch of hateful bastards. Remember the stigma towards divorce that June Carter had to face? Thats what gay Christians like me and Jennifer have to face today. I really hope that the hate goes away someday.
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Name: Thai
Date posted: 8/16/2010 2:26:33 PM
Hometown: Bakersfield

Comment:
What I want to know is... Why are all you self righteous 'Christians' reading 'Advocate'??????? Maybe your left eye AND your right eye should be gouged out because you're offending your beliefs. Who do you think translates the 'Bible'??? Men do! Who do you think wants to control your thinking so they can get into your wallet? Men do!!! With each and every translation the terms become more and more inflamatory. This is not the word of God but the inflamed anger of men who truly believe they are acting out of some self-ordained right to judge others and to cause hate and bigotry to spread like wild fire. This is not the Jesus I Know!!!!! I am a 'Who-so-ever'!!!!!!
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Name: Sean
Date posted: 7/31/2010 1:14:10 AM
Hometown: Adelaide

Comment:
@ Elizabeth. Yes, Jesus loves the outcast of society. Too right! And that's why I think he's awesome! But you've got to read John 8:11. Jesus loved the woman in this story and didn't condemn her, but he did say "go and sin no more." He loves us sinners so much but he didn't come so that we can continue happily in it (which is an oxymoron), he came to free us from it completely. That said, we're all on a journey of through life and he loves you and me just the way we are!
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Name: GeoMax
Date posted: 6/23/2010 2:38:19 PM
Hometown: Augusta

Comment:
Why does disagreement equal hate? I believe homosexuality wrong, but I do not hate people. I have much more hard feelings over someones politics vs their sexuality. I have homosexual relatives, I work with homosexuals, and I have homosexual friends. I will not change my belief, but again that does not mean I hate. I do not hate, and I wish people would stop mixing up disagreement with hate.

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