Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, once preached against the sin of homosexuality; now, he's an ally to the queer community.

 

Reynolds grew up Mormon, and was expected to share the "good message" of his faith by going door to door. He said that he must have “knocked [on] thousands of doors” and told people that being gay was a sin. “The doctrine is, if you are gay and acting upon it, that is sinful,” he explained during an interview with Billboard.

 

A major turning point came after one of his group's songs was featured in an episode of the TV series Glee. The particular episode has Blaine singing "It's Time" to his boyfriend Kurt. 

 

 

Reynolds said he received letters from gay fans who loved the song, but were saddened that his faith was so homophobic. 

 

“That was devastating and it broke my heart to get letters like that,” said Reynolds. By this time, Reynolds' views on homosexuality had evolved, but he realized the need to be more outspoken about his support for the LGBT community.

 

"It’s been a driving force for me to raise awareness and make a difference and not just sit back to let people feel that hurt," he told Billboard. "'It’s Time' reached a lot in a lot of different ways.'"

 

He was named a recipient of the Trevor Project’s 2017 Hero Award, handed out on June 19. During his speech he revealed, “I wish I could re-knock [on] all those doors and tell them that I was wrong.”

 

“To be gay is beautiful and right and perfect -- to tell someone they need to change their inner-most being is setting up someone for an unhealthy life and unhealthy foundation,” he added. “I know a lot of Mormon youth who are gay and hide it because they feel as though God hates them or God is judging them. In Utah, the number one reason for death among teenagers is suicide.”