KISS-FM’s morning co-host Kellie Rasberry set off a firestorm of criticism on her Facebook page when she said on the air the she doesn’t support same-sex marriage.

Kellie Rasberry

Rasberry has been a popular figure in the LGBT community and has been the guest celebrity at GayBingo Dallas on a number of occasions.

Her comment was accompanied with the explanation that her belief is related to how she was raised.

The Facebook comments ranged from disappointment to viciousness.

Resource Center Dallas’ Communications and Advocacy Manager Rafael McDonnell said he was trying to contact Rasberry for a clarification.

“Your opinion was not innocuous, it was bigotry, and bigotry is social poison,” wrote Gabriela Equality Valdepeña.

“Man, Kellie, that’s just all kinds of wrong what you said,” wrote Emily Scott. “And your reason was lame. It wasn’t even a reason, just an excuse for you not to think.”

“Just because you were raised ignorant don’t mean you have to remain so,” wrote Paul Jay Ritter, Jr. “People change, and it’s okay.”

Rasberry sent out the below statement that she’s posting on her Facebook page:

“Wow. A lot of anger on my Facebook wall this morning.

“We discuss a lot of things on our show, and the subject of gay marriage came up. Some of you say I was wrong to say anything and that I should’ve kept my mouth shut. However, had I said I was all for it, you’d be the ones giving me virtual high-fives and thanking me for sticking my neck out there on such a controversial subject. So, I stuck my neck out there but just said how I feel about it. I just told the truth about where I am! And it’s like people are fighting over who gets to swing the hatchet.

“And the thing is, I have very seldom talked on the subject. I don’t campaign for or against gay marriage. I don’t boycott, picket, petition or threaten anybody who doesn’t agree with me. In fact, I can’t tell you the last time I’ve talked to anybody about it because the subject simply doesn’t come up that often. I am sure now it will come up more and that is probably a good thing. But when I was asked how I felt about it, I didn’t run from the question and I didn’t lie. I told the truth about how I feel.

“Yes, I had a very religious upbringing. And as a child, you sometimes simply believe what you are taught. And then you grow up. And as I grew up, I questioned a lot of what I was taught. Did I believe as I did simply because of what I was told? Did I believe as I did because of what could be proven in the scriptures? There were some things I was absolutely sure of, but there were other things that fell into a bit of a gray area for me and then some other things that I completely changed my mind on. For instance, there was a time when I thought only Baptists were going to Heaven and I was just so glad that I was one of them! You’ll be happy to know that I have since changed my position on that. No doubt as I grow my feelings on lots of things my change 😉

“But what about gay marriage? I was raised to believe marriage is between a man and a woman and I still lean towards that…but like other thing things that I have changed my mind on this may change as well. No, I haven’t pored over the scriptures to find a definitive answer, but perhaps I should do that now since it’s suddenly become my “issue” But I’m not mad at anybody who thinks differently than I do. Gay marriage is not a chest-thumping conviction of mine but I can certainly understand when someone feels they don’t have full equality that it can and should be for them. It’s something I struggle with because I have gay friends who I love so much that I consider them to be part of my family. And because I love them, I want them to be happy and have a truly fulfilled life and have the same rights as anyone else.  That is why my beliefs sometimes can conflict  and that is why I found myself changing as I grow. While some of my friends are very passionate about gay marriage, some have not discussed it with me. But even when the subject has come up with them, never has any one of them threatened to no longer be my friend because of it. Not one of them has called me a bigot or accused me of spreading hate. Nobody has ever wished that my daughter would grow up to be a lesbian to teach me a lesson. It’s just happens to be something we don’t agree on, but miraculously, we’re all still friends. I know that our President has similar views as the one I honestly expressed, that marriage is between a man and a woman.  He says his views are evolving.  Who knows, mine may too.  No doubt he has people from the community that disagree with him but I would hope they don’t wish ill of him as we all examine how we feel.  Hopefully we ALL continue to evolve.

“I don’t know the real intent of what seems to me to be an attack campaign being waged against me on Facebook. I can’t tell if you want me to apologize, change my mind, quit, get fired, or kill myself.  I also realize a lot of you didn’t even hear the conversation, you just heard about it and jumped on the “You’re a hate-filled bigot” bandwagon. If your intent was to hurt my feelings, then congratulations. My feelings were hurt. Did I cry? Yes. A few of you made me cry. Let’s be honest, some of the comments are kinda mean…But I am not coming from a hateful place. I wasn’t looking to seize some opportunity to promote my anti-gay marriage agenda because I DON’T HAVE AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AGENDA!

“But I do want to say this, especially to my friends.  If what I said was interpreted by any members of the LGBT community as insensitive or if it was hurtful I so apologize. That would be the last thing I want. I have supported, given my time and volunteered for organizations that are vital to this community. The work that is done by these organizations, like Black Tie Dinner and Resource Center are not just important for the LGBT community but for all of us and as a mother who wants her daughter to grow up in a world absent of hate, I appreciate that.

“To those who know me I trust you know my heart.  We all have a lot to learn and I hope we all continue to grow. To those who don’t know me thank you for letting me know how you feel.”