A Christian drag queen is angry that his album has been disqualified from the contemporary Christian category at the Grammy Awards, blaming “religious gatekeeping” for the decision,
In a recent Facebook post, drag queen “Flamy Grant” — whose real name is Matthew Blake — claimed that the “religious gatekeeping” came from within the Recording Academy, specifically the committee that oversees the contemporary Christian category.
He also called out “the depth of corruption in Christian music” — which, he said, includes Zionism, or the support for the existence of Israel — while claiming that “queer Christians” are being unfairly demonized and marginalized by the larger Christian community.
“Bible Belt Baby” is an irreverent, sometimes profane take on Christian faith that soared to the top spot on the iTunes Christian and Gospel chart earlier this year, propelled by the album’s main single, “Good Day.”
“I didn’t make Bible Belt Baby to win awards & I’m aware my expression of Christianity ruffles feathers. It’s designed, in fact, to do precisely that,” Flamy Grant wrote. “But this album still expresses—deeply—a Christian story, faith, and worldview.”
He added:
“Queer Christians have been ignored & demonized for too long. Our wisdom can’t be found anywhere else. We are among the most faithful because of the cruelty we must navigate. If a queer person still identifies as a believer in 2023, that’s a faith no straight person can begin to understand.”
“It was surprising to experience religious gatekeeping from the The Recording Academy ᴿᴾ and the Contemporary Christian Grammy screening committee. The typically progressive Grammys seemed like my best shot at seeing my art represented in the world of Christian music.”
The Recording Academy cited the album’s explicit language in explaining its decision to move “Bible Belt Baby” from the contemporary Christian category to the Pop Vocal category.
In a statement sent to Billboard, the Academy said the decision was based on “explicit language/content” used in one of the album’s songs.
“The Academy is an open and inclusive organization that embraces artists from all backgrounds and genres.”
The song in question is “Esther, Ruth, and Rahab,” which features the lyrics “So I guess the lesson there was God would only hear a prayer If it came from a person with a cunt.”
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