Carrie Underwood says gay people should have right to marry

Country music star Carrie Underwood has spoken up about her support of same-sex marriage in a recent interview.

As June marks Gay Pride month, several celebrities are voicing their beliefs. Traditionally conservative, Underwood surprised many with her support for gay marriage. The singer explained that her standpoint on the controversial issue came about following her own marriage.

"As a married person myself, I don't know what it's like to be told I can't marry somebody I love, and want to marry," the 29-year-old Oklahoma native told The Independent. "I can't imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love."

Underwood emphasised that her church's belief in gay marriage influenced her significantly.

"Our church is gay friendly," the 2005 "American Idol" winner said, revealing that hers is one of many churches that adopt the divisive stance.

Although she was raised in a Baptist church, Underwood and her husband, hockey player Mike Fisher, attend a nondenominational congregation that has an unconventional understanding of God's word. She feels that the most important tenet of Christianity is love.

"Above all, God wanted us to love others," she told the newspaper. "It's not about setting rules, or [saying] 'everyone has to be like me'. No. We're all different. That's what makes us special. We have to love each other and get on with each other. It's not up to me to judge anybody."

Underwood has never kept her faith out of her work, and her song "Jesus Take The Wheel" is one of her greatest hits. Describing her career in country music, Underwood previously told Glamour magazine that the genre was different from others.

"You have the Bible Belt-ness about it (country music)," she said in an interview with the magazine. "I'm not the first person to sing about God, Jesus, faith [or] any of that, and I won't be the last. And it won't be the last for me, either. If you don't like it, change the channel."