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

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Aretha Frankl's gospel roots were partly shaped by the gays and lbians her life

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BLACK CHURCH RUMOR SEXUAL VLENCE AND BLACK (GAY) GOSPEL’S REVEREND JAM CLEVELAND

While many black pastors nmn homosexualy om the pulp, the choir lofts behd them are often filled wh gay sgers and micians. The fact that gays and lbians often hold learship posn the church is the worst kept secret black Ameri. * was james cleveland gay *

Yet the prence of gays and lbians black church is mon. 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.

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.

BLACKS, GAYS AND THE CHURCH: A COMPLEX RELATNSHIP

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"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. 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. " Johnson scrib church choirs as a welg muny wh a muny "where you meet other gay people, so be a form of socializg.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

" 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. This is not limed to homosexuals or lbians.

WAS THE REVERAND JAM CLEVELAND GAY?

But many others say they are torn between their allegiance to their church, which form the cultural and stutnal backbone of black muni, and their sire to live ee of homophobia.

" Gospel mic superstar and megachurch pastor Donnie McClurk shocked the non-gospel world years ago by revealg a 2001 book that God "livered" him om a gay "liftyle" that he said was a rult of beg sexually abed as a boy. McClurk, who has said beg gay is a choice, was cricized by the gay muny for settg back the LGBT goal of gag acceptance.

DIVE DIVA: THE GAYS WHO SHAPED ARETHA’S GOSPEL SOUL

Rise Of Black Homophobia: Moraly Turns Polil For s, black misters addrsed LGBT people their sermons only ocsnally. Black misters and black lawmakers helped pass gay marriage bans several stat. Al Sharpton beme the hight-profile pastor to nounced homophobia and ll for greater cln of LGBT people.

Pastors No Strangers To Gay Sex Sndals The sexual behavr of some male pastors, many of them also gospel sgers, also has stoked mors or led to sndal. The ntroversy was all the more notable bee Long was a proment supporter of Geia's gay marriage ban, passed 2004, and a proposed U. And Coretta Stt Kg (who supported gay marriage), led a march to prott same-sex marriage that started at the Kg fay crypt.

GLQ: A JOURNAL OF LBIAN AND GAY STUDI

The Bay Area the 1970s had arguably the most visible prence of LGBT members black church, jt as the broar gay rights movement had gaed momentum the regn. The Love Center Church Oakland, Calif., found by the late Bishop Walter Hawks, one of gospel mic's biggt stars the 1970s and 1980s, ma wav for welg black gays and lbians.

Jabir warned agast idolizg Cleveland as a gay historil figure, now, bee herently go agast the liftyle Cleveland led. "We will not be able to retrieve Cleveland as the subject to beat up on, nor n he bee the heroic gay, " Jabir clared. SHOWBIZ Nonbary ins, untry mic, gay films, queer rapper2023-07-21The Advote unveiled s list of 13 nonbary ins people should know.

SHOWBIZ Emmys, 'Top Chef, ' Hyphen Hyphen, Da Brat, 'Transparent, ' Ben Cohen2023-07-14Vios below - As the Emmy nomatns were announced (wh Succsn leadg wh 27 noms), openly gay Paris Barclay ma history. Acrdg to Deadle, the two-time Emmy wner is the first Black (and, certaly, Black gay) director to sweep...

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