He came to the world in 2021 as a member of the LGBTQ community.
But former American Idol star David Archuleta revealed that his friends from his days growing up in the Mormon church were “cold” to him after he left the church the following year.
While you’re talking to People Unveiling a star in honor of the late music legend George Michael on Project Angel Food’s Path of Angels, the 32-year-old singer delved into how coming to terms with his sexuality had negatively impacted his relationship with the people around him.
Last year, he said “dozens” of fans attending one of his Christmas concerts in Utah walked out after he said he was strange on stage.
But now it is his own friends who have reportedly lost their warm attitude towards the singer.
Cool reception: David Archuleta, 32, revealed to People on Monday that several of his friends from his days growing up in the Mormon Church were “cold” to him after he came out as gay in 2021 and left the church last year; seen in LA on Monday
Don’t hide: Archuleta previously described Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ bias after ‘dozens’ left a Utah Christmas concert after being called queer
“A few days ago I went to a funeral for one of the worldwide church leaders of the Mormon Church, and it was strange to walk in there, no longer being a part of it, and seeing, ‘You know what? went away from me too,” Archuleta said.
“The people I knew were like, ‘Oh, hi.’ I used to give them a hug and stuff, and now they just reach out,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘I haven’t changed. I’m still trying to show my love to you,’ but it’s like, ‘You know what? They’ve moved on from me. Why am I still hanging on to this.'”
He added that he thinks his former friends “don’t feel the same way about me.”
“They were cold to me, and so you’re like, you know what? “I’m still trying to get these people’s approval even though I’m no longer a part of this and I don’t believe in it anymore,” he mused. “I just have to move on.”
Part of that process included embracing events attended by queer people, including the Dreamstate music festival, which he attended last week in Long Beach, California.
‘I used to say, ‘This is wrong. This is bad. I’m going to get in trouble,” David said of his thoughts while in the LDS Church. “You think you’re going to die because you’re in a place that’s too liberating, but it’s a beautiful experience.”
According to the Campaign for human rightsThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) does not consider same-sex attraction a sin, but it does prohibit Church members from acting on that attraction.
LDS members found to be engaging in same-sex attraction may be sentenced to probation or prevented from participating in the sacraments while they attempt to end all same-sex affection.
However, members who refuse to end same-sex relationships or who declare that their sexual orientation is an innate part of themselves may be excommunicated from the Church.
As if they hardly knew him: ‘The people I knew just said, “Oh, hello.” I used to give them a hug and stuff, and now they just reach out,” he said; seen on Monday
Enough of that: “They were cold to me, and so it’s like, you know what? “I’m still trying to get these people’s approval even though I’m no longer a part of this and I don’t believe in it anymore,” he mused. ‘I just have to move on’
Legend: David helped honor another gay icon, the late George Michael, by unveiling his star on Project Angel Food’s Path of Angels; seen at the 2012 London Olympics
An honor: Archuleta was fortunate enough to meet George Michael while he was still alive when the former Wham! singer performed on his season of American Idol; seen in 2009 in LA
Although Archuleta avoided that fate, he sounded positive about embracing his queer identity at the event honoring a previous queer pioneer, George Michael.
“I feel like I’m in a phase where I’m learning to stop apologizing for who I am,” David told the publication. “(I)m trying to find myself now as an adult queer person and say, ‘You know what? It’s okay to be me, even if that means I’m someone different than who I might have been ten years ago, five years ago.” past.”‘
Archuleta was fortunate enough to own the former Wham! singer when he performed on season 7 of American Idol, the season in which David finished in second place.
“He just wasn’t afraid to make people feel a little bit uncomfortable, and I think I still have to learn that a little bit,” Archuleta says. ‘As I distance myself more and more from the culture in which I grew up and the mentality with which I was raised, I learn to find myself better and better.’