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The Voice's Stephanie Rice Recounted Her Coming Out Story—and It's Heartbreaking
"It was a moment I would remember forever, and I'd never felt so unwanted...but it was also a freeing moment for me."
Last week, Stephanie Rice made her debut on The Voice stage with a profound rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Piece by Piece" accompanied by a coming out story so touching that Clarkson herself tweeted out a message of support. Her Texan, pastor father and mother had abandonded her after learning about her sexuality, and that pain had shown through in her performance.
On Access Hollywood Live earlier this week, Stephanie opened up about the details of her journey. It turns out she was left at her community college by her parents after refusing to enter conversion therapy, denied the opportunity to attend a university on a women's basketball scholarship on the grounds that "only lesbians" played basketball, and threatened with violence by her father after he first learned about her sexuality.
\u201cTo every woman who dared to speak up and dream-you broke the mold and led the way. Let us continue to do the same. #InternationalWomensDay\u201d— Stephanie Rice (@Stephanie Rice) 1488981147
Stephanie tells her story with a trembling voice—she states that these kinds of reactions "leave scars," and that her "hope in sharing [her] story is that we realize our scars are shared."
Watch the full interview below, follow Stephanie on Twitter for more updates, and look for more of her music on iTunes as she collaborates with Gwen Stefani.
