Amy Grant to Host Family Member's Same-Sex Wedding on Her Farm
Amy Grant revealed that she will host her niece's same-sex wedding at the farm she shares with her husband, Vince Gill. The decision drew widespread praise on social media, but also criticism from the Christian community. Grant, 62, has been a longtime supporter of LGBTQ rights and considered it a gift for her family when her niece came out.
Her niece's wedding will be the family's "First bride and bride" nuptials, Grant told the Washington Post. When her niece came out, Grant's response was "What a gift to our whole family to just widen the experience of our whole family." The singer considered the "Queen of Christian Pop," had a simple defense for her decision.
"Honestly, from a faith perspective, I do always say, 'Jesus, you just narrowed it down to two things: love God and love each other,'" Grant told the Post. "I mean, hey – that's pretty simple." Grant's interview was published in late November, just as she became the first Contemporary Christian musician to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.
Although Grant's comments about her niece's wedding were published weeks ago, they gained traction again on Twitter after it was picked up by Christian news outlets. Rev. Franklin Graham shared a link on his Facebook page, where he criticized Grant's support of her family. Many others praised Grant for openly supporting her niece.
"Amy Grant is trending right now because she loves her niece. That's really sweet," one fan wrote. "Amy Grant hosting her niece's same-sex wedding means the same people who hated her when I was a kid get a chance to hate her all over again," another fan wrote. "She rules, they are all terrible, they were always wrong, and they will always be wrong."
Grant made her most direct comments about her support for the LGBTQ community in an interview for Hunter Kelly's Proud Radio podcast last year. "Who loves us more than the one who made us?" Grant told Kelly. "None of us are a surprise to God. Nothing about who we are or what we've done. That's why, to me, it's so important to set a welcome table. Because I was invited to a table where someone said 'Don't be afraid, you're loved.' ...Gay. Straight. It does not matter."
Grant is a member of the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors class, alongside George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Tania Leon, U2, and Larry Mullen Jr. The ceremony was filmed at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Dec. 4. Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Marren Morris, Amanda Shires, Sheryl Crow, and DeBe and CeCe Winans were among the performers who honored Grant. CBS will air the ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. ET. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+.