Shewired.com article: Homophobia In The Black Christian Community Hurts The Black Community As A Whole.
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| When preachers pontificate too much from on High about the sins of homosexual sex, the cautionary tale is to be careful of what you say, because your words invariable will come back to bite you, as we are seeing with Bishop Eddie Long.
Called by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement,” it came as a surprise, sending seismic shock waves across the African American church community, when news broke about Long’s alleged sexcapdes with two male teenagers — followed immediately by a third allegation — while they were enrolled in his ministry for teen boys. Long is a flamboyant man, and likes to flaunt his gifts. As one of the Black Church’s prominent pastors of “prosperity gospel,” his bling-bling theology unabashedly flashes not only his Gucci sunglasses, gold necklaces, and Rolex watches, but also unapologetically flashes his muscular physique in the latest too tight-fitting spandex workout togs. Long has been rumored — for some time — to be gay. And for those inside of Long’s stained-glass closet at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, they have known of the bishop’s penchant for pubescent boys, whom he calls “spiritual sons.” Sadly, however, Long, like too many African American ministers on the “down low,” has erected his bully pulpit denouncing gays while using his clerical authority to court and to covet them. During his infamous anti-gay march in December 2004 titled “Stop the Silence,” which denounced same-sex marriage, Long stated, “In essence, God made Eve to help Adam replenish the earth. Woman has the canal…everything else is an exit. …Cloning, homosexuality, and lesbianism are spiritual abortions. Homosexuality is a manifestation of the fallen man.” Long’s is not alone — to be gay or rumored to be gay — in denouncing homosexuality. For example, speaking at the November 2009 Church of God in Christ’s 102nd Holy Convocation International Youth Department Worship Service, Pastor Donnie McClurkin told his audience, “God did not call you to such perversions. Your only hope is Jesus Christ. Were it not for this Jesus I would be a homosexual today. This God is a deliverer.” The poster boy for African American ex-gay ministries attributed his homosexuality to being raped twice as a child, first at age eight at his brother’s funeral by his uncle, and then at age 13 by his cousin, his uncle’s son. Confusing, however, same-gender sexual violence with homosexuality, McClurkin misinterpreted the molestation as the reason for his gay sexual orientation. McClurkin “testi-lies” that his cure was done by a deliverance from God and a restoration of his manhood by becoming the biological father of a child. Another example lies in Bishop T.D. Jakes, the internationally known African American evangelical star dubbed as the black Billy Graham. His ranting against homosexuality came back to bite him in January 2009 in the form of his oldest son’s, Jermaine Jakes, arrest in a sex sting for openly soliciting gay sex from an undercover vice detective in a public park just a few blocks from his church, The Potter’s House, a 30,000 member megachurch in Dallas, Texas. Bishop Jakes is now tight-lipped on the topic of homosexuality, because his son’s arrest has the African American LGBTQ community abuzz with rumors resurfacing his own sexuality. In September 2005 activists Keith Boykin and Jasmyne Cannick kicked off a five-part series, “Outing Black Pastors,” on their respective websites querying publicly whether prominent pastors in the black community, like Bishops T.D. Jakes, Donnie McClurkin, and Eddie Long, who constantly rail against LGBTQ people, were actually struggling with their own sexual orientation. The mess Long now finds himself in is emblematic of the Black Church’s down low “politic of silence” concerning sexuality. J.L. King who became the country’s poster boy by exposing the behavior in his best seller, stated, not surprisingly, that many of his partners were churchmen. “There are gospel conventions throughout the nation for churches. There is one for ushers, Sunday school departments, music departments and ministers. …These events allow men to meet men and to have sex while away from their hometowns. Many midnight concerts turn into affairs where brothers are cruising each other. I’ve been there, seen it, and done it,” King states in his book. Many African-American men on the DL say there are two salient features that contribute to this subculture — white gay culture and the Black Church. The Black Church’s conservative gender roles and anti-gay theology create a hidden homosocial community of DL male clerics who find camaraderie at black pastors or at all-male conferences where Long took his spiritual sons. Long has not created the homophobic climate in the Black Church, but he has certainly contributed to it. With a membership of over 25,000, Long’s church is the largest African American megachurch in the Southeast. And as the largest it can begin, with his sex scandal, to effect change by embracing a liberating, healthy, and holistic understanding of human sexuality. And in so doing, Long would be creating a model of pastoral care not only for heterosexuals or homosexuals, but most importantly, for himself. |
APF Article: Tomorrow’s Gay Pride Parade In Serbia Will Be Test Of Serbian Democracy.
(AFP) – 2 days ago
BELGRADE — The second ever gay pride parade in Belgrade planned for this Sunday will be a test of Serbia’s maturity as a democracy, a representative of the OSCE said Thursday.
“The maturity of Serbian democracy will be among other things judged by the degree to which the principles of non-discrimination, equal status and treatment by the law are enjoyed by all,” Daiana Serafina Falloni of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) told a press conference.
Serbian gay organisations announced they will have a pride parade in the capital Belgrade on Sunday. The first ever gay pride parade in Serbia in 2001 was broken up by violent clashes provoked by right-wing extremists.
Plans for a parade last year were abandoned after the government said it could not guarantee the security of the participants.
The OSCE representative praised the efforts of the Serb authorities this time around to take “tangible steps in providing a safe environment for the participants”.
However, she added that “more needs to be done to address the extremist voices that continue to incite hatred and intolerance in this country”.
An anti-gay counter protest is already planned for Sunday and in Belgrade in recent days anti-parade posters appeared with the threatening tag line “we are waiting for you”.
A spokeswoman for rights watchdog Amnesty International, Sabine Zwiers, also congratulated the Serb government for taking “the first steps in protecting the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in Serbia”.
She warned that this protection should also extend beyond the day of the parade.
“We hope the authorities will react very strongly to any incident that could happen in the coming days and also in the days end weeks after the pride (parade) because we know that danger for LGBT activists will not stop on Sunday,” she warned.
Funny Huffington Post Article: Mark & Spencer Has Created A Butt Lift & Crotch Package To Make Men Look Better!!!
Marks & Spencer To Sell ‘Bum Lift’ & ‘Frontal Enhancement’ Underwear (PHOTOS, POLL)
First Posted: 10- 5-10 05:01 PM | Updated: 10- 5-10 06:57 PM
Last we heard, shapewear for men was really taking off…for guy’s top-halves. The New York Times ran an article in May about the popularity of slimming undershirts for men. But what about power panties…for dudes?
British department store Marks & Spencer is all over it. The chain has created “bum lift” underwear and “frontal enhancement” pants that will hit shelves October 15 priced at $15 to $25. True, they’re not the first products of their kind, but they seem to be the first ones backed by a major chain.
The head of Marks & Spencer men’s underwear Dave Binns told the Daily Mail, “Our technologists have worked hard to engineer two styles that are comfortable to wear and that give real results. These pants provide a real confidence boost for men and we think they will prove popular with our customers.”
Marks & Spencer posted promotional pics on its Facebook account. From left to right: a guy in regular underwear, a guy in “frontal enhancement” pants and a guy in “bum lift” underwear.
The brand also came up with several handy diagrams to explain how the undergarments work:
Gayblackcanada 