Inside Out Love, Lesbians + Liturgy
Artwork by Ted Nunes from a photograph by Fairlight Hubbard
Jennifer Knapp social media: Instagram - Patreon - TiktoK
I’m excited to share a glimpse into the conversations Jennifer Knapp and I have been having for years. My bio of my friend is that she’s exceedingly funny, kind, humble, brave, supportive, honest, a great cook, and did I mention funny? Officially, she’s a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, author, speaker and advocate whose first three albums sold over one million copies, including her Gold-certified debut, Kansas.
Jen was a Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) star – and then became CCM’s first major artist to openly discuss LGBTQ+ identity, starting with her own. Like so many queer folks, she’s had to justify her sexuality for no justifiable reason, on a public stage no less. She has done so with immense grace, eloquence and patience.
Jen stepped away from music at the height of her earlier career, until her 2010 comeback album Letting Go. Her recent albums include the re-release of her debut, as Kansas 25, and the EP Supplicant, a collaboration with singer-songwriter Levi Lowery.
Jen reaches many people through her music and her non-profit, Inside Out Faith, which is dedicated to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within faith communities. And she holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School.
From my perspective, Jen’s celebrations of human dignity, through her social justice work, music and personal life are a single Venn diagram circle. She doesn’t suffer power fools easily, but never goes for the jugular. She also has a gift for flipping scripts, like with our obsession with genitals.
The next time anyone asks me if I’m straight or gay, I will channel my inner Jen and gently ask them why they need to know which genitals my sexy time partner has. I think it’s a brilliant reframing of our most intimate selves that we shouldn’t have to explain to anyone but ourselves.
We laugh and talk about her music, faith, studying theology after leaving CCM, and the documentary she’s in, Safe for the Whole Family: How to Make a Christian Superstar, which premieres this coming weekend at the Nashville Film Festival.
Jen’s also in the middle of a tour – you can see where she is and what all she’s doing generally at jenniferknapp.com. And check out her Instagram for information about her Joy and Resistance, which we didn’t have a chance to talk about!
A full transcript of this conversation can be found here.
Women Like Sex is a Flipped Script production
Executive Producer / Editor: Natasha Senjanovic
Website Design and Artwork: Ted Nunes
Associate Producer: Edecio Martinez
Music: Funky Fortune by Danny Shields