Gospel Artist Tonex Opens Up About Sexuality

By Darian Aaron

Stellar Award winner and Grammy nominated gospel recording artist Tonex has dealing with rumors regarding his sexuality for most of his musical career. Steeped in the church, the son of the late Rev. Dr. Anthony Williams and himself a minister, the accusations of homosexuality have posed a threat to his livelihood, ministry, and future as a leader in the Black faith community of his native San Diego, CA.

 

 
With the release of The Naked Truth in 2007 and the infamous YouTube video, which has since been removed, where Tonex use of profanity and secular posturing shocked gospel music fans; it seemed that inside this talented singer was a ticking time bomb ready to explode. In that video Tonex emphatically denied being gay; that was two years ago.

In a recent interview with The Lexi Show produced by The Word Network, Tonex' boldly opened the closet door in a way that no one in the gospel music industry had ever had the courage to do. In his openness, Tonex' refused to blame his same-sex attraction on his childhood experience as a victim of sexual molestation, as are many of his contemporaries who "struggle" with homosexuality, such as gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who reputedly once corrected an interviewer when an attempt was made to frame a discussion in this way.

"It wasn't a struggle. And then people like to blame the struggle on molestation. No. Just say you were attracted to men and be honest and quit blaming it on that experience", Tonex' says.

His coming out, he felt, would not be complete if he had not addressed the blame, hypocrisy and homophobia which persists in the Black church.

 
"The church has completely "faggotized" everybody who's gay, sends them to hell over the pulpit and the church literally screams hooray and are happy about that. And yet, we celebrate the pastor who has a clean record and a clean look, but yet he is still doing the same thing that the same-gender loving people are doing. I believe that there's Holy Ghost- filled fire baptized gay people," he added.

Tonex' currently writes for Janet Jackson's upcoming CD and can be seen in Maurice Jamal's Friends & Lovers.

See Tonex' explain the man he is today in 3 videos below: