Black and Gay Is Beautiful

In response to Donnie McClurkin's recent speech at a COGIC convention, gay activists and religious have taken out a full page announcement declaring an end to spiritual violence:

"For those of us in faith who have always loved the black church, the defining issue of our lives has been the churches damning stance on homosexuality. As children, the condemnation broke our spirit. As adolescents, this ridicule broke our hearts. As young adults, this disdain has attempted to drive us to the brink. Spiritual violence is wrong and it kills the spirit. The black church must find new ways to talk about sex and sexuality."

Anyone who's grown up in church knows all too well the lethal effects homophobia can have on the mind, body and spirit. Hopefully more churches will get the message.
H/t Rod 2.0.

Say What?

I just have to shake my head. Bishop Harry Jackson, who in the past has repeatedly spoken out against gay rights, now says that Obama's health care reform will discriminate against the wealthy. Yes you read that right. Never mind the millions who don't have adequate care or get rejected by insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions such as yeast infections. Its folks who are worth millions of dollars that will be really suffering. Even though Obama has made it clear that folks who want to keep their current health care provider can do so. Honestly I don't even think Paris Hilton, as self-absorbed as she is, would ever utter such foolishness. Get into the clip below:

D.C. Minister: Gays Are Inhuman

I don't even need to explain the insanity you're about to hear. Just watch Minister Leroy Swailes below:

Shoulda Seen This Comin'...

The recent ruling legalizing gay marriage in Iowa has inspired mixed reactions from the state's clergy. While some, such as Rabbi David Kaufman and Rev. David Ruhe, who both wrote essays about the decision, have been supportive, others have been, shall I say, more negative.

The Rev. Keith Ratliff, leader of the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church, received a standing ovation Sunday as he denounced the court's decision.

Ratliff, an outspoken critic of gay marriage, called on state lawmakers to begin the process of amending the constitution to restrict marriage to between a man and a woman."We believe the homosexual lifestyle is wrong," he said. "But we invite homosexuals to the church, and invite them to repent."Ratliff said the ruling contradicted God's word, and he cited a Bible passage from the Old Testament. The passage, according to some translations, says: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; it is an abomination."

"I don't care how you spin it," Ratliff said. "I don't care how many philosophical discussions you have on it. I don't even care what the Iowa Supreme Court says. There's a higher court."

Hmm, where do I start. First off, Rev. Ratliff, it doesn't matter what your beliefs or Bible says about gays or marriage. This is a state, I repeat, STATE issue. If you want to continue to preach that 'dem evil homosexticals are wrong (even though I don't agree) and refuse to marry gay couples in your church, the do you playa. But in case you haven't noticed the government doesn't deal in sin and scripture, but in the law and equality.

Secondly, if you want to follow the Bible to the letter, then the entire civil rights movement of the 60's was an immoral, ungodly rebellion, at least according to Romans 13:1-2:

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Third, how sad and ironic is that you're the leader of Iowa's NAACP chapter? An organization that recently declared their opposition to Proposition 8, a measure you support. Nevermind the potential boost to the Iowa economy gay marriage could provide, which, according to scholars and business people, could be in the range of $160 million dollars. Not that money should be a reason to grant civil rights, but I'm just sayin'. But don't think about all that Rev. Ratliff. Just keep those blinders on and keep protesting.

T.D. Jakes' Son Busted for Indecent Exposure

Jermaine Jackson, son of T.D. Jakes, pastor of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, was arrested for whipping out his wiggy and masturbating in front of two undercover officers on Jan. 3. Oh what a tangled web the anti-gay weave:

"According to a Dallas Police Department arrest warrant affidavit obtained by CBS 11 News, Jakes exposed himself to two undercover vice detectives at Keist Park on January 3. The affidavit says Jakes walked up to one of the detectives at the park with his pants unzipped. Jakes then began to masturbate while making eye contact with the detective, according to the affidavit."

Although Jakes is definitely saner than most conservative black ministers when it comes to sexuality--he supports addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in the black community and welcomed members of Soulforce, a pro-gay religious group--he opposes gay marriage and expansion of hate crimes. In the past he has also called homosexuality a "brokeness" and said he would not hire a sexually active gay person. With his arrest, Jermaine Jakes undoubtedly took those words to heart. You can read the whole police report here.