Jared Swilley says he was shocked by
his father's announcement that he is gay.
Megachurch Pastor Jim Swilley told his
flock that he's gay last month.
The twice-married father of four
founded Church in the Now in Rockdale County, Georgia 25 years ago.
The 52-year-old Swilley said he knew he was gay since he was a little
boy. He added that the recent rash of gay teens bullied to death
motivated him to come out of the closet.
“As a father, think about your 16-,
17-year-old killing themselves, I thought somebody needed to say
something” an emotional Swilley told WSBTV.com in Atlanta.
“I had no idea at all,” Jared
Swilley told arts weekly Creative Loafing Atlanta. “He
had been married twice and he's a preacher. … It was definitely
shocking, but I was actually glad when he told me.”
Jared Swilley, the bass player and
frontman of the band Black Lips, said his father told him and
his siblings that he is gay in May.
“It was the closest that I've felt
with my family in a really long time,” he said.
“I think he's a lot happier,” he
added.