Michelle Shocked Apologizes, Says She Never Said 'God Hates Homosexuals'

March 21, 2013— -- Singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked apologized to fans after she reportedly went on an anti-gay rant at a San Francisco concert, saying her support for the LGBT community "has never wavered."

"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," she said in an open letter distributed by her publicist. "I say this not because I want to look better. I have no wish to hide my faults and – clearly – I couldn't if I tried."

Shocked was performing at Yoshi's San Francisco on March 17 when she reportedly told fans: "If someone would be so gracious as to please tweet out 'Michelle Shocked just said from stage, God hates faggots.' Would you do it now?"

An audio recording of Shocked's tirade was released on Tuesday on SoundCloud, a music-sharing website, by the user therealtofuandwhiskey. In it Shocked is heard stating her views as the audience banters with her and pressures her to clarify her position. A Yoshi employee can be heard trying to put an end to her set.

"I was at a prayer meeting yesterday, and you gotta appreciate how scared folks on that side of the equation are. I mean, from their vantage point, and I really shouldn't say 'their' because it's mine too, we are nearly at the end of time," she said in the recording. "And from our vantage point we're gonna be, uh … once Prop 8 gets instated, and once preachers are held at gunpoint and forced to marry the homosexuals, then I'm pretty sure that will be the signal for Jesus to come on back."

Yoshi's artistic director, Derek Hunter, took to the music venue's Facebook page to release a statement on Shocked's performance.

"This was Michelle Shocked's third visit to Yoshi's San Francisco; her first was March 2009. She has never given any indication that she is anti-gay or racist in her previous plays. She obviously has some serious issues and unfortunately chose our venue to vent them," he said.

ABC News' calls to Yoshi's for comment were not immediately returned.

In her letter, Shocked said that her statement equating repeal of Prop 8 with the coming of the end of time "was neither literal nor ironic: It was a description of how some folks – not me – feel about gay marriage."

"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. I believe intolerance comes from fear, and these folks are genuinelyscared," she said.

After Shocked's comments, various venues canceled the singer's upcoming performances, including her set at the 40th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival's director Craig Ferguson told ABCNews.com that "regardless of the truth of what happened, we'd have made the same decision [to cancel], and Michelle understands that.

"The reason we made the change is we just felt so many people were in a place of judgment and hate," he said. "We just wanted to side step the debate and not have that be the big focal point of our festival, right or wrong."

Meander's Kitchen in Seattle, where Shocked was scheduled to perform on April 26, replaced Shocked's performance with a Queer Burlesque and Cabaret benefit for local gay youth.

"By supporting our youth and helping to create a sense of place, community and self, we help to short circuit the cultural influences that so often leave us feeling alone, out of place and living with self-hatred and denial," read a post on Meander's Kitchen's Facebook page.

Shocked's scheduled performance at Harmony Bar in Madison, Wis., on May 4 is still pending.

"One week from today, you can start talking to [the manager]," said the person who picked up the phone at Harmony, "and ask him what his thoughts are. Until then, there's nothing to tell."