Image Dragons' Dan Reynolds opens up about his LGBTQ activism and the hate he receiv for makg "so many kids gay"

Contents:

• IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS MAK A HUGE ‘BEG GAY’ ANNOUNCEMENT
• IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS OPENS UP ABOUT HIS LGBTQ ACTIVISM AND THE HATE HE RECEIV FOR MAKG “SO MANY KIDS GAY”
• IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS TALKS NEW ALBUM ‘EVOLVE’ & BIGOTRY MORMONISM: ‘TO BE GAY IS BETIFUL AND RIGHT AND PERFECT’

IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS MAK A HUGE ‘BEG GAY’ ANNOUNCEMENT

People tell me they won’t allow their kids to go to my ncerts anymore; that when I get to heaven, God’s gog to be upset wh me bee I ma so many kids gay. The Mormon Church is famoly associated wh s support of Proposn 8, which outlawed gay marriage California 2008.

The church recently released a seri of official vios unr the headle Mormon and Gay that tells the real-life stori of LGBTQ Mormons and monstrat that ’s okay: You n feel gay and be Mormon. The church is basilly sayg: You n be gay, but you n’t be out.

Speakg to the crowd of over 35, 000, Cook’s troductn began, “I stand before you tonight as an uncle, a sports nut, a CEO, a lover of the betiful Utah outdoors, and a proud, gay Amerin! Put all together and is easy to unrstand why the gays are so obssed wh him right now! "Reynolds grew up Mormon, and he's long been open about his journey to rencile the church's anti-gay doctre wh his own support for gay rights.

IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS OPENS UP ABOUT HIS LGBTQ ACTIVISM AND THE HATE HE RECEIV FOR MAKG “SO MANY KIDS GAY”

“People tell me they won’t allow their kids to go to my ncerts anymore; that when I get to heaven, God’s gog to be upset wh me bee I ma so many kids gay. Reynolds acknowledged that his activism probably wasn’t gog to change the Mormon Church’s views on homosexualy, somethg that he was massively cril of, but he felt that he had a “rponsibily to speak to all the kids who listen to Image Dragons, and there are so many of them, all the fai e to our shows, and to slowly jt speak this tth of me.

Related: Image Dragons’ Dan Reynolds slams Emem over “hateful” anti-gay lyrics. I sat down wh my fay member, who I'm not gog to name, but they, you know, they said to me, "What if you get to Heaven and God says, 'Look at all the people you led astray and you ma sound like was OK to be gay, and that's sful.

But durg his acceptance speech at the 2017 TrevorLIVE event, Reynolds took the opportuny to share his story of gog on his Mormon missn trip, where he tght people for two years that beg gay was a s. He lled out Emem for his homophobic lyrics on Kamikaze.

IMAGE DRAGONS’ DAN REYNOLDS TALKS NEW ALBUM ‘EVOLVE’ & BIGOTRY MORMONISM: ‘TO BE GAY IS BETIFUL AND RIGHT AND PERFECT’

After Glee featured Image Dragons’ “It’s Time” 2012 durg an episo which gay character Blae sgs to his boyiend Kurt, the band’s ontman Dan Reynolds started receivg letters om gay fans. In this Q&A wh Billboard, Reynolds discsed workg wh BMI’s 2017 Pop Songwrer of the Year Jt Tranter on Image Dragons’ Hot 100 h “Believer, ” wrg about love on the band’s third stud album Evolve (out now) and lnchg the Love Loud ftival to bat bigotry and teach acceptance to relig fai bee “to be gay is betiful and right and perfect. Glee had a huge impact on the band bee helped our first song take off and had a huge impact on a lot of people, pecially wh the gay muny.

One of the reasons I’ve felt such a need to speak out on this is I’ve gotten untls emails and letters om fans around the world who said, “I’m gay, but I know you’re Mormon so that probably means you don’t accept my liftyle, but I love ‘It’s Time’ and your mic. One of those ways is that Mormons believe the doctre is if you are gay and actg upon , that is sful. To be gay is betiful and right and perfect; to tell someone they need to change their ner-most beg is settg up someone for an unhealthy life and unhealthy foundatn.

I know a lot of Mormon youth who are gay and hi bee they feel as though God hat them or God is judgg them.