The lead singer of Christian rock band Everyday Sunday surprised his fans when he revealed he is gay in a letter on May 31.
The married father-of-two told FOX411 coming out was the best decision he ever made. Despite risking his career in Christian music, his coming out has been for the best, he said.
"[The response has been] overwhelmingly positive. It's been pretty awesome to see how many people have come around me to support me and show me love," Pearson said. "I've been super grateful."
Pearson came out to his wife and family 6 months before publishing his letter. His wife, Lauren, was supportive from the get-go, even though it meant the end of their marriage. He told us the pair has "filed for disillusionment."
Meanwhile, other members of his family, who Pearson describes as "fundamentalist Christians," took a little longer to come around.
"Lauren has been crazy supportive and very much behind me," he said. "We were married 7 and a half years and it's been just as much a struggle for her as it has been for me. I think we both got to experience freedom to have this transparency and understanding in our relationship."
Pearson said he and his wife had become advocates for the LGBT community long before he admitted to himself that he was gay.
"By the time I told [Lauren], she hugged me and cried, and she's been a huge advocate for me. A lot of my family, from a more fundamentalist Christian side that have always believed [homosexuality] is a sin, they've been wanting to understand. My dad showed up on my front porch when the letter came out and just hugged me for ten minutes. They're definitely trying."
After he had his family's acceptance, Pearson decided to pen his now-viral letter. At the time, he did not consider the effect his sexuality would have on his career.
"I honestly didn't know how people would react," he recalled. "Anytime you post anything like this online, you realize there's just some mean people out there, but I wasn't too worried about that. [My story is] beautiful, and it's been about the grace that I've received from people around me, from my wife, from my family and just the sort of redemption I've been able to feel."
He continued, "The restoration me and my wife have been able to feel, for us being healthy, for our kids and just hoping we can help other people because I know there's people out there going through what I've gone through."
Pearson said he hopes people of all faiths and backgrounds will come together and "stop teaching hate" in light of the attack that took place at a gay nightclub in Orlando Sunday night. He has started a GoFundMe page to help the families of the victims.
"I know what it's like to live in that place of fear and it's sad, especially with the events that took place this last weekend. I think that the fundamentalist way that people have been teaching against homosexuality, whether you're Christian, Hindu, Jewish or Muslim, I think it's dangerous.
"You see someone mentally unstable that's been taught to hate, you see now what that can do. I think it's sad, and I think it's so important for us to tell our stories."
Pearson hopes his story will help others struggling with their faith and sexuality. He is performing in his first gay pride festival this Friday night in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
Faith & Fame is a regular column exploring how a strong belief system helps some performers navigate the pitfalls of the entertainment industry.
Follow Sasha Bogursky on Twitter @SashaFB.
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