American Idol’s David Archuleta says God told him to come out as bisexual: ‘Hey – it’s OK’
American Idol finalist David Archuleta said God told him to come out publicly after a conversation they had while he was “literally outside doing yard work”.
The singer, who is also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proudly came out as part of the LGBT+ community in an Instagram post in June. Archuleta explained in the post that he felt he is part of a “spectrum of bisexual” and potentially could be asexual.
In an interview with the Today Show, Archuleta revealed that a “faith crisis” led to him coming out publicly. He said he was out in the yard “pulling weeds” and feeling “disconnected from everything” when he decided to pray.
“I was literally outside doing my yard work, pulling weeds,” he told the Today Show. “I kind of went through a faith crisis for a month, when I was in the process of breaking up with this girl I was in a relationship with.”
He continued: “But I felt so disconnected from everything. My anxiety had gotten so bad.
“I was like ‘I don’t even remember how it feels to be close to God or to even have feelings for anybody’. Or, I don’t even know how I feel about myself right now.”
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When he prayed, David Archuleta said that God replied, saying “David, you know I trust you, right? I want you to post about what you’re going through right now”.
The singer said he then knew “exactly what I needed to say”, but he still felt uncomfortable speaking out because “I like to keep to myself, especially with this kind of stuff”.
He told the Today Show that he hoped people learned from his experience coming out that they aren’t alone.
“Especially if they’re currently really involved in their church or their faith and feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, what happens if I speak out? If I’m honest, what’s gonna happen?'” Archuleta said.
He added: “I just want them to know they’re not alone. I had so many direct messages from people who are in the same situation.
“So hey, it’s OK. Even if it’s not clear how — I know I’m still figuring it out — you can make room for both.”
In his coming out post on Instagram, David Archuleta urged people to “consider making room to be more understanding and compassionate” to the LGBT+ community, especially people who are “part of that community and trying to find that balance with their faith”.
“I think we can do better as people of faith and Christians, including Latter-day Saints, to listen more to the wrestle between being LGBTQIA+ and a person of faith,” he continued. “There are more than you may realise going through that wrestle after all the misunderstandings that come with it.