Jon Foreman, the lead singer of popular Christian rock band Switchfoot, posted on TikTok that he supports the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ community.
Foreman posted a TikTok on September 18, where he responded to a statement from Grace Semler Baldridge, a Christian artist. She identifies as queer and has been calling on Christian musicians to be public about their stance on LGBTQ rights.
"Yes, I support your rights and freedoms; I want you to feel loved and supported," Foreman says in the video. "Love and embrace have always been central to our story and our song. We need our differences."
In response, Baldridge expressed a cautious sense of excitement about Foreman's words, stating that "I am interpreting what you said as being affirming. If I am incorrect in that, then I really hope you would clarify. Because I think for many queer people of faith, the bait-and-switch of hearing such encouraging words like yours and then finding out that means something else can be heartbreaking. But I don't think that's you."
Switchfoot has teetered between mainstream and Christian music, with their themes often not entirely clear. The band was founded in 1996 as Chin Up, a band made up of Foreman and his brother Tim. As time went on, they became Switchfoot. Their album The Beautiful Letdown came out in 2003 and has earned double platinum since its release. Switchfoot released their latest album, Interrobang, during the summer of 2021. Baldridge will release a new EP in October.
