Katy Perry Opens Up About Her Sexuality and Religious Upbringing

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published 20 March 17

Katy Perry is known for her open mind and open heart, so it's no surprise that the Human Rights Campaign honored her with its National Equality Award. While accepting the award at the organization's gala in downtown Los Angeles, Perry, who shot to fame with 2008's "I Kissed a Girl," opened up about her sexuality and religious upbringing.

"I'm just a singer and songwriter, honestly,"she said, according to E! Online. "I speak my truths and I paint my fantasies into these little bite size pop songs. For instance, 'I kissed a girl and I liked it.' Truth be told, I did more than that."

"But how was I going to reconcile that with a gospel singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps? What I did know was I was curious and even then I knew sexuality wasn't as black and white as this dress," she said. "And honestly, I haven't always gotten it right, but in 2008 when that song came out I knew that I started a conversation and a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along, too."

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Kayleigh Roberts

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.