Southworth & Boltz: Newly Out Evangelicals Team Up For National Tour

Azariah Southworth and Ray Boltz, two enormously popular evangelical figures who rocked the Christian world when they came out in 2008, are teaming up for a tour. Via press release:

Over the past 20 years, Ray Boltz has been one of the driving forces behind Christian music, garnering three Dove Awards and selling 4.5 million albums. Since announcing they’re gay in 2008, Boltz and Southworth have been shunned by the Christian music world. Boltz comments, “I am looking forward to touring with Azariah Southworth during 2010. We both ‘came out’ publicly at the same time and we both have experienced acceptance from people who understand and rejection from some of those who don’t. We hope by being “true” to who we are, we can make a difference for others in the same situation.”

Southworth hosted a popular Christian television show, The Remix, for two seasons. It was syndicated to more than 128 million homes and watched by over 200,000 per week on one network. However, he lost everything after announcing he was ready to live his life “authentically and honestly” in April 2008. Southworth comments, “Ray’s and my story are very similar. On the tour, we will share our stories through the performance of spoken word and songs. As I share my stories in segments, Ray will play his new and old songs which convey the joy, heartache and healing we have experienced. This tour is our two stories which contain one message. That message is the joy and peace there is to be found by living true.”

The tour begins in Long Beach, California in May and coincides with the completion of Southworth's book. Tour Facebook page. Ray Boltz resides in Fort Lauderdale with his partner. JMG reader Azariah advises that he is "very single" in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he has been active in the campaign for his hometown to extend transgender rights protections.

RELATED: My post about Azariah's coming out is here. My post about Ray Boltz' coming out is here.