40. Ray Boltz
Born in Muncie, Indiana, Ray Boltz is an award-winning contemporary Christian singer/songwriter. Boltz’s career in Christian music took off when his song “Thank You” received the Song of the Year award at the 1990 GMA Dove Awards and he has since gone on to sell over 4.5 million records. Boltz was married to his wife Carol for over 30 years before coming out in 2008 in the September issue of The Washington Blade. In the interview, Boltz stated: “If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be — I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”
Since then he has continued to perform at several churches from the gay-affirming Christian denomination Metropolitan Community Church. In 2010, he released the album True with the songs “Don’t Tell Me Who to Love,” dealing with same-sex marriage, and “Who Would Jesus Love,” a song about reconciling his sexuality and his faith.
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