Gospel singer and pastor Kim Burrell’s “I See a Victory” is listed as the No. 14 song on Billboard magazine’s “Hot Gospel Songs” list. The track also features Pharrell Williams, and will likely benefit from the increased visibility of being included as part of the soundtrack to the motion picture Hidden Figures. However, Burrell has stirred up controversy after a video of her making a number of homophobic remarks (above) went viral over the weekend.
“That perverted homosexual spirit, and the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women,” Burrell told her audience. “You as a man, you open your mouth and take a man’s penis in your face—you are perverted. You are a woman and will shake your face in another woman’s breast, you are perverted.”
In addition to the Hidden Figures placement, Burrell is scheduled to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. DeGeneres’s character became the first openly gay lead character on a prime time sitcom. DeGeneres also champions the cause of LBGT equality in her personal life.
Burrell was featured on Frank Ocean’s track “Godspeed” from the album Blonde. In 2012, Ocean released a public letter detailing having previously fallen in love with a man. With the statements having been made roughly a week before her Ellen appearance, Burrell was a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook for the majority of Saturday.
Later Saturday, Burrell took to her Facebook page to address the issue.
“So many people seem to be affected by something that is such a lie,” Burrell said. “I never said that all gays were going to Hell. That never came out of my mouth. Y’all quit spreading that.”
Burrell called the allegations incompetent, childish, and not of her nature. She added the stories surrounding the video were meant to shake what people believe about her before revealing the target of the original video.
“I was addressing church people,” Burrell said. “See? See how misconstrued y’all got it? I was addressing church people. And let’s get even more specific—ones who were in my church.”
