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Singing the Gay Gospel with Artist Rizi Timane

Posted on 20. Jul, 2009 by admin in Interviews

To be Gay and Christian.

For a long-time those two words stood at contradiction with one another for me, as they struggled to settle themselves into my heart while fighting ferociously with my mind. I was raised to believe homosexuality was wrong; that is was a sin and for those actions I would live eternally in hell. For many queer or questioning youth and adults, this is an everyday struggle that has caused many have abandoned their faiths, others to sit quietly in congregations hoping to suppress their homosexuality, and some to unfortunately take extreme measures to “get out of the homosexual lifestyle”, including exorcisms and suicide. According to 365Gay.com, a study from the Health and Human Services Department shows that LGBT-identified youth are far more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual-identified youth. I can remember 8 years ago, sitting in my family’s home church, a modestly large Baptist Church located in the suburban section of Washington D.C., as my pastor, a man whom I had admired and respected since I was a young girl expressed his “disgust” at the sight of two men kissing and how “unnatural” it was for two women to be involved while members of the congregation around me let out sighs and moans of agreement. As a curious and questioning 16-year-old sitting in the congregation that day, the level of humiliation, hurt and confusion was enough to keep me away from the church and abandon any faith I had that God could love someone as “unnatural” as me.

Can you be gay and Christian?

I decided to pose that question to openly gay gospel artist, Rizi Timane, whose message of love, hope, and acceptance of the LGBT community in God’s eyes has often come under fire by religious groups but praised by lives her message has helped and even saved. Born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa and now residing in Los Angeles, Rizi, “challenges the Status-quo and encourages the LGBT Community to continue to move towards achieving FULL Human Rights while at the same time, asking our opponents to stop their hatred, ignorance and persecution of our community. Her lyrics in the single, “Come Out” and songs like, “Do you know” provide a direct confrontation to the religious fundamentalist notion that God/Bible Condemns homosexuality and strives to educate the public about what the Bible really says and does not say about homosexuality. Rizi’s ultimate goal is to enable any LGBT person who wants to know God but has been turned off by Religion to know that God loves them just as gay as they are and also to help those who are struggling with their spirituality and sexuality”

She sits down with Gay Girls Guide to discuss her own coming out process, the religious groups who protest against her message and the blatant homophobia in the gospel music industry.

Rizi, when did you come out openly as a SGL woman and briefly describe that experience?

Rizi: I knew I was different at 8 years old and mentioned my same sex attraction to my father who suggested it was just a phase but I officiallycame out when i was about 15 years old. I was so full of fear and guil t as I told [my parents] about my sexuality because I had been raised in an extremely fundamentalist Christian home and believed that being gay was a sin.

“It was a horrifying experience and one that I wish no other LGBT person will have to endure”

My announcement was met with a feeling of despair by my parents who immediately arranged an exorcism for me where church members attempted to cast out “the demon of homosexuality” from me. It was a horrifying experience and one that I wish no other LGBT person will have to endure, but given the recent media scandal just last month (June 2009) concerning an attempted exorcism of a gay black boy in Connecticut, it is clear that this ignorant and dangerous form of religion-based child abuse is still going on.

Many queer-identified youth and young adults have a disconnect with the belief that they can be Christian and Homosexual or Bisexual - did you ever struggle with that?

Rizi: Yes indeed, I struggled with the belief that my sexuality and Christianity were in complete conflict with each other. In fact, I found it an oxymoron to attempt to call myself a Christian even though I always had a love for God in my heart. From all the bible quotes being told to me, it was clear that God hated me and would never accept me except I stop “choosing to be a lesbian”, a sin so grave that He allegedly destroyed a city, Sodom and Gomorrah for it. Of course I now know that all this is simply misinformation and the truth is that Sodom was destroyed for inhospitality and innate wickedness not homosexuality. It was a long journey of extensive bible study that helped me with reconciling my faith with sexuality. Once properly interpreted this way, the bible clearly does not condemn homosexuality at all.

When did you discover in your heart that both being Gay and Christian were possible?

Rizi: The exact moment that my struggle with this ended finally happened in January 2006. I had been fasting since January 1st that year because even though I had done the bible study, I wanted to hear from God himself on this issue so that the struggle would end one way or the other. I was prepared to undergo extensive spiritual and other counseling to become a heterosexual if God impressed on me that being gay was wrong because as a Christian, my love for God supersedes all else. Well, it was on the last day of this fast, as i took a stroll outside in the morning which i did 5 days week for exercise that i got the answer very clearly within my heart. The answer was that God loves me just the way I am and He wasn’t going to “make me straight or encourage me to seek counseling” because He already made me exactly the way He wanted me to be.  That settled it for me once and for all and I have never looked back. I would like to encourage everyone facing this struggle to do like I did as well which is instead of taking any ones word for it, including me, your pastor, or family, seek the answer through prayer and even fasting if necessary from the only being with the correct answer, which is God himself.

“He already made me exactly the way He wanted me to be”

What are your thoughts on gospel artists and preachers who express homophobia or believe homosexuality is a sickness or disorder that you can “come out of”, for example Donnie McClurklin who claims to have been delivered from homosexuality and Tye Tribbet denouncing gay and lesbianism in his song, Stand Out?

Gospel artists like Ty Tribett and preachers who are homophobic and spew their hatred and anti-gay rhetoric from the pulpits and from their lyrics sadden me deeply. I am angered by their ignorance and bigotry driven selective biblical interpretation. How they can easily quote Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13  to condemn my sexuality but ignore Leviticus 11:9-11 with the word ABOMINATION used for eating shrimps in both verses 10 and 11. If they can agree using common sense that Leviticus cannot be taken literally on the prohibition on eating of seafood, then why do they insist on taking the alleged reference to homosexuality literally? If Christians today, including some of the homophobes who voted yes on prop h8te can eat shrimps, eat pork/bacon and wear cotton shirts with leather belts and polyester blend underwear and not expect to go to hell, then I can be a lesbian and not expect to go to hell.

It is so hypocritical and I am deeply angered by it. Having said that, I am consoled by the fact that change is inevitable. These type of preachers used the bible to encourage and condone slavery and segregation using bigotry driven selective bible misinterpretation. They did it with the oppression of women and now they are doing with the LGBT community but one must note that we were able to end segregation/slavery as well as move towards greater equality for women and it is only a matter of time before we end homophobia and achieve full equality for the LGBT community.  As for Donnie McClurklin and his claims to no longer be a homosexual as “God has healed him from his gayness”, I am truly disgusted. He knows he can’t be “delivered” from being gay as though it was a disease or demon possession and he has lied both to himself and to the bigots who buy his music for whatever reason. Maybe he just needed their acceptance or worse still, he has done this so he can sell his gospel music. Whatever the reason is, Donnie has done so much harm to himself and the LGBT community and I genuinely believe that he, along with all the other hate spewing homophobic preachers who are hurting the lgbt community, will ultimately answer to God in the end for their actions.

“Apparently, if I could stay in the closet, we could “make millions of dollars in the huge gospel music market”"

How has your experience been as an openly gay gospel artist?

It has been a very dynamic experience.. The larger christian community are obviously not impressed with me and my music and they have made their feelings known very clearly. They believe I am repulsive to God and not entitled to sing gospel music or call myself a Christian. Many find me oniline and send me some very “unchristian” emails expressing their hatred. Some have even shown up at my live performances to protest against me bearing signs slogans of bigotry that are not for the fainthearted. Luckily for me, they do not have a monopoly to Gods love and can’t stop me from loving Him and spreading the gospel.

In 2007, when I was recording my first album, I was approached by a label executive who loved my music and wanted to work out a record deal with me but the process was immediately halted and the deal taken off the table when I said I was a gay Christian who would not stay in the closet. Apparently, if I could stay in the closet, we could “make millions of dollars in the huge gospel music market”. I guess this is the sort of pressure and gospel industry rejection that would cause a singer like Donnie to stay in the closet. That is only one aspect of being an openly gay gospel singer and I am glad to announce that it fades into nothingness compared to the actual joy and fulfillment that I experience by being an out gospel singer. I receive so many emails daily from people letting me know that this message has changed their perspectives and their lives. It save lives literally (I too was a suicide survivor due to guilt and shame I felt for being a lesbian and not knowing that i could be gay and Christian. This full video story including my attempted exorcism story is on my website under Rizi’s story).

“I receive so many emails daily from people letting me know that this message has changed their perspectives and their lives“

One quote or scripture that you live by - that helps you get through (that you want to share with readers)

There are so many scriptures that i love and live by but if i must share only one, it would be Jeremiah 1:18-19 which is tattooed on my forearm because it comforts me so much in all situations.

Jeremiah 1:18 ” I, the Lord, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. Jeremiah 1:19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,says the Lord”.

This passage convinces me that no matter who rises against me, be it the religious fundamentalist, the protesters that come to my live shows to condemn me, those voted my right to get married away, those who hate LGBTs, family members who do not approve of me, and anyone else who just plain doesn’t like me, I know from this passage that I am protected by the hand of God that has made me as strong as an iron pillar and a bronze wall so i can withstand all attacks.

(They may not want to tattoo it on their arms like I did but it is worth remembering as they go through the challenges of life as LGBT people)

For more information on Rizi Timane and to listen to her music, please visit her website at to www.rizigospel.com.