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"American Idol" Alum La'Porsha Renae Says She Chose To Be Straight

“I decided to be heterosexual because I felt like that’s the life God intended me to live."

Less than a year after saying she "doesn't agree" with the LGBT "lifestyle," former American Idol contestant La'Porsha Renae has made some surprising statements about her own sexuality.

Earlier this week, Renae, who finished as runner up on the final season of Idol, got in a Twitter argument with a user after they called her out for being homophobic.

"Phobia is a fear. I'm not afraid of homosexuals, nor do I hate them. I respect and love EVERYONE," the 23-year-old singer clapped back.

An hour later, another user blasted her for saying being gay was a "choice," to which she responded: "You're wrong to think it's not a choice for some... because it was for me."

The user then pressed her to clarify what she meant and Renae revealed that she'd previously identified as a gay woman.

In April 2016, Renae landed in hot water for making homophobic comments when a reporter asked her what she thought about Mississippi's anti-LGBT House Bill 1523.

“I am one of the people who don’t really agree with that lifestyle," she responded. "I wasn’t brought up that way. It wasn’t how I was raised."

“But I do have a lot of friends and a lot of people that I love dearly who are gay and homosexual and they’re such sweet, nice people. We should just respect each other’s differences and opinions and move on.”

Renae later apologized, saying she "was just trying to honestly answer a question that actually caught [her] off-guard."

In a recent email to the Huffington Post, the singer elaborated on her Twitter remarks.

"Let people believe what they want to believe about themselves," she wrote. "Life can be a complex thing. It’s not always black or white. I took a journey and became more grounded in my faith, and decided that I wanted to live a heterosexual life."

“I decided to be heterosexual because I felt like that’s the life God intended me to live. My response to your skepticism is that many people walk many different strokes of life,” she continued. “Some people believe they chose homosexuality and some believe they didn’t. Who’s to say one is wrong? It’s not fair to generalize anyone’s sexuality or walk of life.”

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