October 30, 2007

NBJC Commentary: Gays and Gospel Music

Sylvia Rhue, Director of Religious Affairs for the National Black Justice Coalition, writes:

Gospel is in the news because Senator Barack Obama has chosen Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Hezekiah Walker and others to tour in the South to connect with Black voters with the power of gospel music. These three are on record making homophobic remarks with McClurkin being the most outrageous. Donnie claims to be “ex-gay” and tours with Benny Hinn who in the early 90’s predicted that God would “destroy the homosexual community” in America by fire by the year 1995. Chilling cheers followed his prediction. Donny himself has declared “war” on homosexuals.

From my experience as a former gospel singer and having friends who are currently on the gospel music scene, I believe that the gospel singing culture, in addition to being stalwartly heterosexual, is also decidedly bisexual, avidly homosexual and deeply closeted in seriously high numbers. We hear reports, here and there, of a gospel singer/minister giving sermons against homosexuality, and after the sermon handing out his hotel keys to men he wants to pursue for that evening. We hear reports of two nationally known, famous gospel singing homophobes who are actually lovers.

An openly gay minister in Washington DC relates the story of going to gospel music events and hearing homophobic remarks from the stage in the daytime, and yet some of those same clergy and gospel singers knock on his door at night.

We know of the closeted lesbians. We know who is gay in gospel and who is not. How do we know? They ask our un-closeted gospel singing friends for sex. Or their bitter wives spill the beans. Or they protest wa-y-y too much, which is a behavior that healthy heterosexuals don’t engage in. …

Posted by: Sapphocrat