Singer calls homosexuals ‘perverted’ just days before ‘Ellen’ appearance

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

January 2, 2017 at 17:56

ELLEN Degeneres is under pressure to ban singer Kim Burrell from appearing on her talk show this week.

Some of the comedian’s fans are outraged after a tape of the gospel singer preaching at a Houston church began circulating online in which Burrell said that “the perverted homosexual spirit, and the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women”.

Burrell also referred to specific homosexual acts as perverted.

The singer is scheduled to sing a duet with Pharrell on January 5 on Ellen.

They are supposed to sing I See Victory from the soundtrack of the new movie Hidden Figures.

But some fans don’t want the performance to go ahead and have set up a petition titled “Stop Gospel Singer Kim Burrell’s performance on The Ellen Show”.

It has already attracted more than 2800 signatures.

The petition urges Ellen to “Please stop Kim Burrell & teach her and others like her who hate, a powerful lesson in 2017 — that this type of speech & loathing must stop. It is killing LGBT people and has for decades.”

Kim Burrell and Pharrell Williams perform onstage during the Citi Concert Series on Today at Rockefeller Center in December in New York City.Source:Getty Images

There has been no reaction from DeGeneres’ show or her social media platform regarding Burrell’s sermon.

Burrell herself spoke abut the tape during a Facebook Live on Friday and blamed unspecified “enemies” for spreading only a portion of her speech.

She said that she has never discriminated against gays and lesbians.

“I love you and God loves you,” she said, “But God hates the sin.”

Pharrell posted on Instagram that “I condemn hate speech of any kind,” although he made no specific reference to his duet partner.

Singer Janelle Monae, who is also scheduled to appear on Ellen with Pharrell Williams and Kim Burrell, wrote on Instagram that she unequivocally repudiates “ANY AND ALL hateful comments against the LGBTQ community.”

“At times I want to punch and I want to slap a lot of people when I read and hear the sh*t that comes out their mouthes[sic]!!!” Monae wrote.

“I will rejoice when folks stop thinking they ARE GOD, Jesus’ assistant, picking and choosing what ‘sins’ are acceptable in the Bible, and using the Bible as a whip!”