Meeting of minds in
Atlanta
Gay, lesbian leaders
say it's past time for black churches
to accept homosexuals
into religious community
Leslie Fulbright,
Chronicle Staff Writer from the Web, January 20, 2006
Atlanta, GA Jan.19 -- A
landmark meeting of African American clergy and members of the gay and lesbian
community that begins tonight in Atlanta is the keystone of an effort to promote
the acceptance of gays in black churches.
The Rev. Al Sharpton from New York and Bishop Yvette Flunder of San Francisco's
City of Refuge United Church of Christ in the South of Market area are
headlining the Black Church Summit organized by the National Black Justice
Coalition.
The push for acceptance is gaining momentum because of a growing number of
African Americans, especially women, who are being infected with HIV and because
measures to ban gay marriage will appear this year on ballots across the nation.
The gathering, at the First Iconium Baptist Church near downtown Atlanta, will
feature films, discussions on acceptance and a look at how homophobia in
churches is promoting the "down-low" phenomenon -- men having sex with other men
while maintaining a heterosexual identity.
In San Francisco, a city known for its acceptance of gay and lesbian people, a
coalition of African American pastors condemned same-sex marriage during the
2004 presidential election. They said it would advance the decline of
marriage and family values in the African American community. That
sentiment is shared in a number of churches across the country by clergy of all
races.
When asked to comment on the issue of acceptance of gays in black churches,
several Oakland and San Francisco pastors refused.
"The summit will let us have an open, honest and mobilized way to say to black
ministers that we have to start talking about gay people in their churches,"
said Mandy Carter, a lesbian activist in North Carolina who plans to attend.
"This is the first time we have high-profile people having this conversation."
The involvement of well-known black politicians and church leaders has given new
inspiration to the National Black Justice Coalition, the country's largest black
gay civil rights group. The Washington coalition, which has been trying to
promote just this kind of dialogue for years, says the summit is especially
important because of the large number of black clergy across the country who
support bans on same-sex marriage.
"It is so disheartening because African Americans have had strong social
connections to their churches but have not been allowed to talk about AIDS or
homosexuality, and (gays) are publicly ostracized by their ministers," said
Keith Boykin, president of the coalition and author of the book "Beyond the Down
Low." "It is especially profound for black folks because the church has
been a place of refuge, to get salvation and redemption, not condemnation."
The church plays more than a religious role in most black communities, serving
as a social gathering place and often dictating the politics of its
parishioners.
Activists say anti-gay sentiment grew in 2004 because white conservative
Christian groups rallied black ministers against gay marriage. Many
believe this bond between white evangelicals and black pastors helped President
Bush get 11 percent of the African American vote that year.
"The Karl Roves of the world wrote an agenda on how to mobilize the African
American vote, and part of that was to suggest the vote against same-gender
marriage," Flunder said, referring to Bush's top political adviser.
Flunder is one of a handful of Bay Area black clergy who support same-sex
marriage.
"Homophobia was maximized during the election, and African American pastors were
mobilized by aggressive white people," she said.
Though the NAACP has vocally supported gay rights, the group has not taken a
stand on same-sex marriage. Executive Chairman Julian Bond has, however,
compared opposition to same-sex marriage to bans on interracial marriage.
Many church leaders continue to preach against homosexuality.
The Rev. Willie Wilson of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Washington, which is
not affiliated with Oakland's church of the same name, decried lesbianism in a
sermon last year with words inappropriate for newspaper publication.
Wilson has not responded to an invitation to the summit.
"Religion is the biggest obstacle for black gays and lesbians in accepting
themselves," Boykin said. "A good number of people who are black and
Christian and straight feel homosexuality is bad and have tried to preach me out
of it.
"Almost everyone I know who is black and gay has an issue rooted in the church.
It is so pervasive; it is part of our culture and our community. Black gay
men go to church and have ministers condemning them, beating up on them every
week."
Sharpton, who has been politically active in New York for decades, became
involved in the debate over the acceptance of gays and lesbians in black
churches during his most recent run for president. He openly supported
same-sex marriage, and then in August, he announced plans for an educational
initiative to challenge homophobia in churches. In addition to
participating in discussions like this one, Sharpton plans to make
public-service announcements and talk in schools.
"We need to rally our forces as African Americans around things that impact our
community," said Flunder. "We need a strategy that is aggressive and
determined and brings people to conversation on human sexuality without
preconceived answers about things they have no experience with.
"Our parishioners need an affirming environment."
Flunder, a native San Franciscan, founded the City of Refuge church on Howard
Street in 1991. The church's Web site proclaims a welcome to people of
every race, sexual orientation and income level. Many of its parishioners
left other churches for City of Refuge, seeking an inclusive environment.
A nonprofit arm of the church provides housing, direct services, education and
training for people with HIV or AIDS in the Bay Area and in Africa.
Flunder and other African American gay community leaders say intolerance in
black churches is especially hurtful because of black church leaders'
involvement in the civil rights struggle.
"You talk about equal rights and social issues, and black people are supportive,
but when you talk about moral issues, they are much more conservative," said
Boykin, who writes a popular blog and speaks regularly on race, politics and
sexuality.
"You could have a brother strung out on crack, an unmarried sister pregnant with
her third child and a cousin getting out of jail, but the gay person with a good
job is the one who is unacceptable in the black church."
Sylvia Rhue, an organizer of the Atlanta summit, said response has been
overwhelming and there is no room for any more participants.
"This is historic, to have a summit dedicated to starting some organized actions
to challenge homophobia and work for marriage rights," she said.
For details on the summit, visit
www.nbjcoalition.org.
E-mail Leslie Fulbright at
lfulbright@sfchronicle.com.
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