Michelle Shocked says she was misunderstood

Michelle Shocked says she was misinterpreted when she spoke said "God hates faggots" during a concert at Yoshi's in San Francisco earlier this week.

The singer-songwriter's comments at the show prompted a walk-out and forced the house to pull the plug on her mic and turnout the stage lights.

The comments also fueled the cancellation of a series of shows in California and other states, including one in Evanston. 

Now Shocked, who is a born-again Christian, says she the audience didn't understand.

In a statement to KQED radio, Shocked said, "I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that. I believe intolerance comes from fear, and these folks are genuinely scared. When I said "Twitter that Michelle Shocked says "God hates faggots," I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted. The show was all music, and the audience tweets said they enjoyed it. The commentary came about ten minutes later, in the encore.

"And to those fans who are disappointed by what they've heard or think I said, I'm very sorry: I don't always express myself as clearly as I should. But don't believe everything you read on Facebook or Twitter. My view of homosexuality has changed not one iota. I judge not. And my statement equating repeal of Prop 8 with the coming of the End Times was neither literal nor ironic: it was a description of how some folks - not me - feel about gay marriage.

"The show, and the rant, was spontaneous. As for those applauding my so-called stance that 'God Hates Faggots,' I say they should be met with mercy, not hate. And   I hope that what remains of my audience will meet that intolerance with understanding, even of those who might hate them.

"Folks wonder about my sexuality, but denying being gay is like saying I never beat my husband. My sexuality is not at issue. What is being questioned is my support for the LGBT community, and that has never wavered. Music and activism have always been part of my work and my journey, which I hope and intend to continue. I'd like to say this was a publicity stunt, but I'm really not that clever, and I'm definitely not that cynical.

"But I am damn sorry. If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them. I say this not because I want to look better. I have no wish to hide my faults, and  - clearly - I couldn't if I tried."

On the same day Shocked issued her statement, audio from the Yoshi's show began to circulate on the Web.

Here's a transcript and audio link from http://www.towleroad.com:

Shocked said at Yoshi's, "So it’s not too late. You can jump into this Jesus gang anytime you want. But, um, I was in a prayer meeting yesterday, and you’ve gotta appreciate how scared, how scared folks on that side of the equation are. I mean, from their vantage point — and I really shouldn’t say ‘their,’ because it’s mine, too — we are nearly at the end of time. And from our vantage point, we’re gonna be, uhhh, I think maybe Chinese water torture is gonna be the means, the method — once Prop 8 gets, uh, instated, and once, um, preachers are held at gunpoint and forced to marry the homosexuals, I’m pretty sure that that will be the signal for Jesus to come on back...You said you wanted reality....If someone would be so gracious as to please tweet out, ‘Michelle Shocked just said from stage, God hates faggots.’ Would you do it now?"