Michelle Shocked denies remarks at concert were anti-gay

The American singer Michelle Shocked entertains the audience at the jazz festival of Montreux on July 11, 1995. (Reuters)

Folk singer Michelle Shocked is saying her recent seemingly anti-gay remarks at a San Francisco concert were misunderstood.

In a statement sent to FOX 411, the singer has responded to the recent publicity she has gotten for her speech during a concert on March 17.

The 51-year-old performer reportedly said: "I live in fear that the world will be destroyed if gays are allowed to marry.”

She added: “You can go on Twitter and say ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates f**s.”

But that’s not what she meant, she is now insisting.

“I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that,” she stated.

And it seems she had an inkling her words may be confusing.

"When I said… ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates f**s,’ I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted,” she said confusingly. 

But that doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to apologize anyway.

“But I am damn sorry,” she said. “If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them.”

After her unexpected speech on stage, it seems many music venues didn’t want to be linked to the singer.

Two of her shows in California have since been cancelled, according to E! News, and her Seattle show has also reportedly been taken off her touring schedule.

ETown, a venue in Boulder, Colo., announced on their Facebook page that their Shocked show was no more.

“In light of recent developments, eTown must cancel the upcoming concert with Michelle Shocked, originally scheduled to take place in May at eTown Hall,” the post read.

SPACE in Evanston, Ill., wrote a similar message, canceling their May 5 concert.

"Many of you have reached out already following an ugly rant given by Michelle Shocked at her show in San Francisco last night,” the venue wrote on Facebook. “After speaking with the promoter of that show about the nature of the remarks, it's clear that this is no longer a show we're willing to put our name on.”

Shock first gained attention in 1986 with the album "Texas Campfire Tapes" and had several charting albums dating into the early 1990s. The singer was continuously questioned about her sexuality over the years, but refused to say whether she was gay or straight. She was married for 12 years and divorced in 2004.