Sunday Diva / Three From the Hip: Katy Perry

Sunday Diva / Three From the Hip: Katy Perry

In my own personal big gay church, there is a wing devoted to those who are truly unique. One of the inhabitants, who is no stranger to church, is...

Katy Perry.

She's the girl next door, with a twist!

Her world is populated with things that are bigger than life, more colorful than even Willie Wonka imagined. 

Once you take into account where she came from and how she grew up, you will come to realize what an extraordinarily rare a flower she is.

She's more than the girl who kissed a girl... and liked it.

She is an ally. She's taken on bullies, given voice to the underdog and celebrated true gay pride. 

She's living proof that we can all evolve. We can all overcome our beginnings.

She's Katy Perry.

And the gospel according to her?

Well, here's three from the hip, dropping from her lips. 

The topic? Surviving a religious upbringing!

(Note: I've taken the liberty of grouping a series of her quotes in order to tell her story.)

"I have always been the kid who's asked 'Why?' In my faith, you're just supposed to have faith. But I was always like 'why?' 

I don't believe in a heaven or a hell or an old man sitting on a throne. I believe in a higher power bigger than me because that keeps me accountable.

I grew up in a life where the answer was always there, I guess. But now I'm out on my own and still looking for the answer. Nothing is solved for me."

"My parents were strict, but it was the world I lived in. I had no idea there was a world outside.

Everyone related to me in my circle was from church: church friends, church school, church activities. All my friends weren't allowed to watch MTV or go to PG-13 movies or listen to the radio, so I didn't really know anything different. That's how I was raised.

I was raised in a super-sheltered atmosphere where we didn't watch anything besides Trinity Broadcasting Network - which was called TBN - or the Fox News channel.

I wasn't going to great schools, because my parents didn't believe in public education. They wanted the education to be influenced by their religion, so I was going to these halfway education-slash-Christian schools that were like pop-up shop-style education."

"I'm not defined by where I came from. I never took part in the rules and hatred that sometimes go along with religion. But if my parents are happy with what they believe, then I'm happy to stay out of their way. We agree to disagree. 

My whole thing is to agree to disagree and to have respect because nothing can really be changed and you wouldn't want to ruin their happiness - even if that happiness is ignorance.

I came from a lot of intolerance and prejudice, which aren't necessarily healthy to evolve as a human.

I came from a different mind-set growing up, and my mind has changed."

Firework - Katy Perry

Dark Horse - Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

Smile - Katy Perry