Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, a gay man who is the janitor at his father’s church, impressed the judges on American Idol.
Harmon talked about growing up in a very religious family, the son of a pastor. He said that he knew he was gay when he was nine-years-old.
“I felt a sense of certain parts of me do belong [in the church], and certain parts of me don’t belong,” he said.
His family isn’t fully supportive of him.
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“There are times when I do feel alone. The hardest part for me is seeing how difficult it is for my family.”
Related: ‘American Idol’ runner-up doesn’t ‘agree’ with LGBTQ lifestyles
He performed an original song called “Almost Heaven,” which he said was about “questioning if there is a place for me and people like me in heaven.”
Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan loved his performance.
“You need to lose the broom, my friend,” Richie said.
“The range is incredible,” he added. “Your voice is incredible. The song….”
“Do you know how good you are?” Perry said.
He’s now moving on to the next phase of the competition.
