INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Demi Lovato Describes Gay Grandfather As A ‘Trailblazer’

By Todd Rigney
Published on: 01:03 PST, Jul 2, 2014

There’s a very good reason why Demi Lovato supports the LGBTQ community. The singer recently revealed that her grandfather came out as gay during the 1960s.

Lovato famously appeared at Heritage of Pride event late last month. According to the folks over at the Christian Times, Demi said she was nothing short of excited to take part in the nationwide celebrations. Not only did she get a huge from singer and activist Lance Bass, she also posed for a photo with Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox.

The singer explained:

“I have been an active advocate of the LGBT community and am wholly committed to supporting individuality and being comfortable in one’s own skin. I am thrilled to be a part of both events as they are a wonderful celebration of independence and self-confidence.”

Although cynical folks might write off Lovato’s appearance at the Heritage of Pride event as a way to promote her music, the singer’s intentions aren’t opportunistic, shallow, or self-serving. People reports that Demi’s desire to support the LGBTQ community stems from her grandfather’s decision to come out during the 60s. The singer discussed the matter during a recent taping of the Logo TV special Trailblazers.

Lovato said:

“I’ve never spoken about this before, but my grandfather was a trailblazer himself. He was brave enough to come out in the 1960s, and I feel a lot of my spirit has come from him. He passed away a few years later, and I only wish he could have seen all the progress that has been made. It’s such an honor to be welcomed and embraced by the LGBT community.”

This isn’t the first time in recent days that Demi Lovato has openly discussed a member of her family. The Inquisitr previously reported that the former Sonny with a Chance star recently paid tribute to her father, who also struggled with mental illness and passed away a year ago last month. To mark the one-year anniversary of his death, Lovato tweeted a collage of photos taken when the singer was just a little girl.

Were Demi Lovato’s grandfather was still around today, chances are the man would delight in the progress she’s made over the past year, both professionally and personally.

[Image via The Needs]

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