Showing posts with label Gay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gay. Show all posts
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Changing Face Of Homophobia In Hip-Hop
When Frank Ocean revealed last month on his blog that his first love was a man, it may have marked a shift in hip-hop's attitude toward homophobia. The AP asked a handful of hip-hop recording artists to react to Ocean's announcement.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Gay Couple: 'Full of Joy' After Obama's Remarks
President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage is giving gay marriage supporters across the country a reason to be excited. One California couple says they're proud to see Obama embrace equality.
Kenyan Gay Activist: Obama A 'Courageous' Leader
President Barack Obama's public support for gay marriage was met with a mixed response across the world on Thursday. The Vatican did not immediately comment, but in Kenya a gay rights activist said he was 'very excited'.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Silence And Shame In The Black Church
By: L. Lamar Wilson
I empathize with Eddie Long's accusers.
In August, two of them, Spencer LaGrande and Jamal Parris, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the alleged wounds of what they call exploitation by the man they knew as "bishop" and "Daddy" are still fresh.
"I'm fighting not to pull the trigger," Parris said, days after receiving probation for drug and gun possession charges. "I'd love to take pills and never wake up."
"The truth should've set [us] free," he added, paraphrasing John 8:32. "I thought I could cover the pain up. I thought I could move, start over and everything would go away. I was terribly wrong. I'm living a lifestyle meant to crash."
Those summer interviews with the newspaper and two Atlanta TV stations, during which LaGrande and Parris reaffirmed accusations of sexual coercion by the mega-church pastor when they were teens, have jeopardized nearly $1 million of a settlement they and fellow litigants have been paid by Long (who has denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit for "closure"). Moreover, they have lost their legal team because of Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's request for a new arbitration hearing.
I worry most about Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson, also part of the settlement, who must remain silent.
I know this silence and shame well. CONTINUE....
I empathize with Eddie Long's accusers.
In August, two of them, Spencer LaGrande and Jamal Parris, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the alleged wounds of what they call exploitation by the man they knew as "bishop" and "Daddy" are still fresh.
"I'm fighting not to pull the trigger," Parris said, days after receiving probation for drug and gun possession charges. "I'd love to take pills and never wake up."
"The truth should've set [us] free," he added, paraphrasing John 8:32. "I thought I could cover the pain up. I thought I could move, start over and everything would go away. I was terribly wrong. I'm living a lifestyle meant to crash."
Those summer interviews with the newspaper and two Atlanta TV stations, during which LaGrande and Parris reaffirmed accusations of sexual coercion by the mega-church pastor when they were teens, have jeopardized nearly $1 million of a settlement they and fellow litigants have been paid by Long (who has denied the allegations and settled the lawsuit for "closure"). Moreover, they have lost their legal team because of Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's request for a new arbitration hearing.
I worry most about Anthony Flagg and Maurice Robinson, also part of the settlement, who must remain silent.
I know this silence and shame well. CONTINUE....
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Blacks: Having The Most Homophobic Month Ever
Image via WikipediaThis time of the year should be celebratory for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. It's LGBT Pride Month, which was made official by President Barack Obama in 2010. New York City's Pride events kick off this week, and in a matter of days, New York may become the most populous state in the nation to legalize gay marriage. But while all of this positive news is going on in the gay community, black folks might be having the most homophobic month ever.
First there's Tracy Morgan, who made several insensitive jokes during a now infamous "comedy" routine in which he made the heinous statement that he would stab his son if he were gay. Morgan has since apologized and is licking the boots of any gay organization that will listen. He's even returning to Nashville, Tenn., where he delivered the homophobic rant, to apologize to those who were offended. Morgan should have known the power of the gays, who quickly dismantled the careers of Isaiah Washington and Tim Hardaway after they made inflammatory statements about gays.
Next, F-list rapper Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future proudly used the word "faggot" 213 times on his album Goblin. He rationalized, "I have gay fans and they don't really take it offensive." Tyler has gay fans? He has fans? His album, which was released in early May, has sold just a little more than 75,000 copies. CONTINUE....
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Don't Ask Don't Tell's Death Long Overdue
Image via WikipediaBorn in 1993 at the beginning of the Clinton presidency, Don't Ask Don't Tell was an ugly baby that grew up to be an ugly teenager.
Yet, for all the shameful bad it did - scandalizing and punishing people for not being like the majority - having DADT was probably the only way we were going to confront and overcome the mentality that spawned it. CONTINUE....
Friday, October 8, 2010
CDC Expands AIDS Initiative In Black Community
Image via WikipediaThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday it is expanding its Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative to increase prevention efforts in the African-American, Latino, gay and bisexual communities, which are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.
The initiative, a partnership of major community organizations, was launched last year to intensify HIV prevention in the black community. Black Americans represent about 14 percent of the U.S. population, but are nearly half of people living with HIV/AIDS and almost half of the new infections each year, according to CDC data.
CONTINUE....
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Bishop Eddie Long Sued By Two Men For Sexual Coercion
The suits, filed Tuesday in DeKalb County, Georgia, allege that Long used his position as a spiritual authority and bishop to coerce young male members and employees of his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church into sex.
"Defendant Long has a pattern and practice of singling out a select group of young male church members and using his authority as Bishop over them to ultimately bring them to a point of engaging in a sexual relationship," the suits allege.
Long is considered one of the nation's top black preachers. His church has more 25,000 members, according to the suit, and was the site of Coretta Scott King's 2006 funeral, attended by then-President George W. Bush and three previous presidents. King was the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The pastor took one plaintiff, Anthony Flagg, 21, on overnight trips to a half-dozen American cities in recent years, Flagg's suit alleges.
CONTINUE....
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