Carrie Underwood Responds To Criticism Of Pro-LGBT Stance

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood says she answered a recent question about LGBT equality the best way she could and tries to avoid controversy, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Earlier this month while being interviewed by the U.K. paper The Independent, Underwood revealed that she supports LGBT equality. "I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love,"she said, before adding, "Our church is gay friendly," she says. "Above all, God wanted us to love others. It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me.' No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody."

Many wondered how the more conservative members of Underwood's huge fan base would react and a pastor in Tennessee claimed that the singer was operating on a basic misunderstanding of The Bible. Joseph Farah, editor of right-wing website WND takes Underwood to task in a commentary he posted earlier today.

"What is a "gay friendly" church?" Farah asks. "Is it one that affirms people in their sin? Or is it one that welcomes sinners and confronts them with it to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus? I suspect Carrie Underwood attends a church that does the former rather than the latter."

Underwood acknowledges feeling pressure during the interview with The Independent. "I was asked a difficult question in the last five minutes of an interview and I answered it the best way I knew how, and after that I do what I do and I love making music and I generally try to stay out of any kind of controversy," she says.

"The role-model word is really scary to me, because no matter what happens in your life, something you do, wear, say, sing, whatever -- somebody somewhere is probably not going to like it too well," she said. "I just really try hard to do what I do and try to be nice to people and make great music and if people think they can look up to that, that's wonderful. If not, that's OK too."