Darrel Walls is the Walls Group gospel singer who was recorded kissing a man in a leaked Instagram video in November 2020.
Walls, 29, tweeted following the leaking of the video, “You Are Good, Oh Lord… You Are Good.”
The video shows Walls with another man smiling and talking. Eventually, the two men turn to each other and begin kissing. The identity of the other man in the video has not been made public.
Walls Deactivated His Instagram Page & Reactivated it Amid the Fallout From the Video
According to Love B Scott, Walls initially shared the video on his Instagram page to his close friends list but that one of those friends went on to leak the video further. The Love B Scott blog says that Walls deleted his Instagram page after the video leaked. At the time of writing, Walls’ Instagram page is still active.
As news of the video broke, Walls has been met with positivity on his social media channels. One person wrote on Walls’ Facebook page, “I love you Darrel Walls PERIIIOOOODDD!!! And you KNOW that ain’t NEVER gonna change!!!” While another person wrote, “#TeamWalls Period!”
Dallas Based Journalist Shakari Briggs Said it Was ‘Tragic’ that the Video Was Leaked
Dallas-Fort Worth-based journalist Shakari S. Briggs wrote about Walls’ situation on Twitter. Briggs wrote, “The sad part about the Darrel Walls situation is the other man making the decision to post the video of them in such an intimate setting. Darrel clearly hasn’t let the world know his stance on his sexuality, so why did the guy feel compelled to do it for him? Tragic.”
Briggs added, “As far as I’m concerned, Darrel Walls’ music is his ministry. The man can sing & I hope that video surfacing of him & his alleged boyfriend doesn’t derail him or The Walls Group. Darrel is so incredibly talented.” Briggs also said that Walls should change his circle of friends as soon as possible as the leaking of the video represented an invasion of privacy.
Walls Calls Himself as ‘Lover of Growth’ & an ‘Advocate for Peace’
Facebook/Darrel Walls
On his LinkedIn page, Walls refers to himself as a singer, producer and songwriter with the Walls Group. Walls is based in Missouri City, Texas. Walls is a graduate of Houston Community College and the MediaTech Institute in Houston. In addition to his musical talents, Walls refers to himself as a motivational speaker as well as a “Lover of Growth” and an “Advocate for Peace,” on his Instagram bio section.
According to his bio on the Walls Group’s official website, he is the eldest member of the group. The profile says that Walls began playing the drums at age four before moving on to play the organ and keyboard. The bio adds, “It is his passion for God that causes him to be an exceptional individual, songwriter and arranger. He aspires to someday be a great producer.”
The Issue of Homophobia Within Black Churches Is a Long-Standing Issue
On the issue of LGBTQ persons within Black churches, Rev. Dennis W. Wiley, pastor of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Maryland, told NPR in 2012, “Persons who are in the closet serve on the deacon boards, serve in the ministry, serve in every capacity in the church. I do believe a certain hypocrisy is there.” Wiley is an advocate of LGBTQ rights. Wiley added, “Some of my colleagues protest too greatly.”
In 2012, Black gospel music historian Anthony Heilbut wrote about LGBTQ persons in Black churches in the book The Fan Who Knew Too Much. The issue was further dealt with in the 2014 PBS documentary The New Black.
*story by Heavy.com