Blacks, Gays And The Church: A Complex Relatnship : NPR

Contents:

• BLACKS, GAYS AND THE CHURCH: A COMPLEX RELATNSHIP
• 40 BT GAY SGERS & MICIANS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)
• WHO'S GAY GOSPEL MIC?
• SOUTHERN GOSPEL SGER KENNY BISHOP IS NOW A GAY UNED CHURCH OF CHRIST PASTOR
• TONEX: FIRST OPENLY GAY GOSPEL SINGER HAS NEW NAME AND NEW SOUND

BLACKS, GAYS AND THE CHURCH: A COMPLEX RELATNSHIP

We wrote about her a few months ago after she shouted “Gay rights!

” at a Swchfoot ncert, a practice she advot dog orr to publicly force ‘Christian’ artists to nont their homophobia and outdated and amoral views on homosexualy. (In rponse to that ll out, Swchfoot’s Jon Foreman rpond to the axg of a queer “Christian” artist qutng his pro-LGBTQ+ creds, tellg her that LGBTQ+ people are always wele at his ncerts and that he supports gay rights and eedoms. The Gospel church and homosexualy has reportedly had a long ter-twg relatnship.

Boy Band Members Who Are Out As Gay, Bisexual or Queer. Yet the prence of gays and lbians black church is mon.

40 BT GAY SGERS & MICIANS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ SGERS)

While many black pastors nmn gays and lbians om the pulp, the choir lofts behd them often are filled wh gay sgers and micians. Wiley is a proment advote of gay marriage. Print Obama's recent announcement that he supports same-sex marriage turned the spotlight on rervatns many blacks harbor about gay rights.

Most polls show Ain-Amerins evenly divid about gay marriage, but the vol opposn, led by preachers, has gaed more attentn. Woon helped lead the recent mpaign that outlawed gay marriage his state.

WHO'S GAY GOSPEL MIC?

The virtuosy of gay sgers, micians and posers has been the drivg force velopg popular gospel choirs — even chart-toppg, Grammy-wng acts — that make money for a church, help expand ngregatns and raise the profil of pastors. It all happens unr an unspoken "don't ask, don't tell" ctom that allows gay people to be active the church, though closeted, and church to reap the benefs of their membership.

"On the one hand, you're nurtured the choir but you also have to s through some of those fire and brimstone sermons about homosexualy beg an abomatn, " says E. Patrick Johnson, an openly gay gospel sger and thor of Sweet Tea: An Oral History of Black Gay Men of the South. Patrick Johnson, who is openly gay, says morn gospel mic is largely fed by the artistry of black gay men.

SOUTHERN GOSPEL SGER KENNY BISHOP IS NOW A GAY UNED CHURCH OF CHRIST PASTOR

Johnson and others believe that morn gospel mic self is largely fed by the artistry of black gay men.

Bishop Yvette Flunr of Oakland, Calif., is openly gay and the founr of The Fellowship, an anizatn of black pastors and church openly welg of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr members. It was Christiany that monized gay people. " As Johnson puts , "You n't throw a shoe back through history whout htg gay and lbian women and even transgenr sgers.

TONEX: FIRST OPENLY GAY GOSPEL SINGER HAS NEW NAME AND NEW SOUND

" Johnson scrib church choirs as a welg muny wh a muny "where you meet other gay people, so be a form of socializg. " Commentator Keh Boyk, who is Ain-Amerin and gay, lls a paradox: "The church might be the most homophobic and most homotolerant of any stutn the black muny.

Woon, the pastor North Carola, agre that the prence of gays and lbians choirs or other church mistri reveals the "duplicy and, ankly, the hypocrisy of the black church.... " However, Woon sists "we are not all homophobic. He says his church also has ntued to support gay members who have ntracted HIV/AIDS, unlike some other church that ostracize them — a practice many people on both sis of the issue say has been mon.

Dennis Wiley of Covenant Baptist Uned Church of Christ Maryland is a proment advote of gay marriage. "We believe homosexualy is a s.