Grammy-nominated singer Jennifer Knapp spent years performing in front of crowds of people. She thought she’d outgrown her stage fright -- but it all came rushing back the very first time she took to the stage to perform a love song she wrote for a woman.
Knapp talked about her experiences at a recent TEdX Talk at the University of Nevada.
“With the largely conservative Christian audience that I had, I thought pretty much I had a 50 percent opportunity of somebody throwing a shoe at me, having people walk out,” Knapp said. “It was a pretty terrifying experience.”
The musician came out as a lesbian in 2010. Since then, she’s been an advocate for LGBT Christians. She pointed out that, according to the Pew Research Center, only 60 percent of Americans say homosexuality should be accepted by society.
Her solution? Get to know your neighbors.
“It’s difficult for prejudice to survive proximity,” Knapp said. “If you learn to tell your story and in turn have a genuine curiosity about somebody else’s story and adventure, it’s really difficult for us to maintain our prejudices in that environment.”
The musician shared her personal journey by mixing songs and stories. Listen to the whole TedX Talk above.
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