Metro Weekly

5 Times Kelly Clarkson Was An LGBTQ Ally

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is from the south, but don't get it twisted, she's a huge and vocal supporter of the LGBTQ community.

Kelly Clarkson (instagram.com)
Kelly Clarkson (instagram.com)

Kelly Clarkson’s voice is so incredible and powerful that no matter how she acted off stage and outside of the recording studio, she’d probably be a gay icon. The LGBTQ community always loved women in pop with stunning vocals, and few can match Clarkson in this regard. Thankfully, she’s just as delightful and loving in real life as she is on TV, and she has made it abundantly clear that she is a huge supporter and ally of the LGBTQ community.

As you stream her long-awaited new album Chemistry, read more about her experiences with gay and lesbian fans and how she stands up for and loves them dearly.

She Featured Gay Couples In Her Music Video

Clarkson is best known as a pop powerhouse, but she’s also dabbled in other genres as well. Her album My December leans into rock, and she’s even enjoyed some small success in country, primarily with collaborations. The singer did dole out her own country track, “Tie It Up,” in 2013. While it wasn’t a major hit, many gay fans hold a special place in their heart for the tune, specifically because of the music video. The clip is all about weddings and marriage, and it features gay couple as well as straight ones. While “Tie It Up” wasn’t a real chart win, the fact that it was marketed toward the country audience and still highlighted same-sex marriage (more than a decade ago) is worth remembering.

She Loves Her Gay Fans’ Tweets

During the pandemic, TV hosts of daytime shows had a difficult time restructuring their programs to work out of bare bones studios or even at home. To fill time and keep her viewers entertained during the especially difficult time, Clarkson set aside time on her namesake The Kelly Clarkson Show to read not just tweets from her fans, but gay fans only. She released the clip online and it has since become a favorite among some of her following, as gays are often the funniest people on Twitter (it’s just how it is).

Helping Her Gay Fans Get Engaged

Throughout her years touring the world, quite a few proposals have taken place at Clarkson meet and greets, and she always beams whenever this happens. There have been several instances of LGBTQ couples becoming engaged at her shows, and sometimes they even remain in the Emmy winner’s life afterward.

Clarkson was there when Kiana and Amanda Clark became engaged before one of her shows, and they tied the knot in 2018. After the ceremony, the pair shared a photo with the singer on Twitter, and she posted it to her followers with some kind words. Because it’s the internet, some trolls came out of the woodwork to say nasty things, and Clarkson wasn’t having any of it. 

She responded to the hater with a kind and direct and very public tweet: “I almost didn’t respond 2 this because hate doesn’t deserve a spotlight but u know what, truth does, & the truth is that God is Love, & Love shared between two people should be praised not condemned in my personal opinion. I love u 2 although we see the world/love differently.”

She Learned About Her Lesbian Fans

Clarkson has a large gay following, which isn’t surprising given her soaring vocals and colorful personality, but what she likely didn’t expect early on in her career is that she also has plenty of lesbians who love her as well. The Grammy winner told Pride Source that as she was promoting her first album, “One girl on tour came up and just introduced herself and was like, ‘I’m a Kezbo,’ and I was like, “What?!” She was like, “A Kezbo – your lesbian fans.” Clarkson loved this, and realized its importance at the time, saying, “Wait – there’s enough of you to have a group? That’s amazing! Awesome! Go me!” From there, the lesbian fan apparently told Clarkson, “Yeah, we just love you. We’re gonna bring you to the other side,” to which the pop singer replied, “All right, well, keep trying!”

She Doesn’t Care If Her Kids Are Gay

In the same Pride Source interview, Clarkson was asked about her children and what she and her then-husband would think of they were gay. Her answer started simply, and it was exactly what all parents should say to their kids in that moment: “Oh, I don’t care.” The superstar elaborated, saying, “Here’s what I hope for her: I just hope she finds love. It took me a while, man. And there was a lot of heartache throughout those years. You know, as long as she’s happy, I don’t care either way, and neither does my husband.”

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