Barack Obama on Black Gays and Donnie McClurkin to "The Advocate"

Kerry Eleveld, the news editor of The Advocate, has an exclusive interview with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Much of the interview focuses on the campaign's controversial decision to book a gospel revival tour in South Carolina and failing to background the performers, especially "ex-gay" (or is it "re-closeted"?) gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin. The often-ignored black gay community is addressed in an excellent set-up on McClurkin, and, in the interview: "McClurkin, an award-winning gospel singer who has also struggled with his sexuality for years, is a one-man personification of the craggy crossroads between black gays and Christians. The fact that he has called homosexuality a “curse” that runs against 'the intention of God' rips open the wounds of so many gay African-Americans who have been 'prayed over' for years by family and friends who endeavor to save them from their 'shameful' fate."

The Advocate: How did this happen? Was Mr. McClurkin vetted?
Senator Obama: Obviously, not vetted to the extent that people were aware of his attitudes with respect to gay and lesbians, LGBT issues -- at least not vetted as well as I would have liked to see.

Having said that, we viewed this simply as an opportunity to have a gospel concert as part of our overall outreach, and since he was singing at a concert along with a number of other artists, as opposed to being a spokesperson for us, probably it didn’t undergo the same kind of vet that someone who was serving as a surrogate for me might have.

Some black gay activists I’ve spoken to say this doesn’t make them question Obama the senator, but it does make them question the campaign -- do they really understand the nuances of these issues, are they really sitting down and talking with gay folks, because it seems like this decision came purely through the lens of faith?
Look, these kinds of issues are going to crop up inevitably through the course of campaigns. It’s important to recognize that these are issues that every Democratic candidate who has African-American ministers as supporters may have to confront. It just so happened that it popped up on the screen in this particular instance. But I assure you, I am not the only candidate who’s got a black minister or a white minister who’s supporting them prominently who subscribes to similar views.

Part of the reason that we have had a faith outreach in our campaigns is precisely because I don’t think the LGBT community or the Democratic Party is served by being hermetically sealed from the faith community and not in dialogue with a substantial portion of the electorate, even though we may disagree with them.

Part of what I have done in my campaign and in my career is be willing to go to churches and talk to ministers and tell them exactly what I think. And go straight at some of these issues of homophobia that exist in the church in a way that no other candidate has done. I believe that’s important. We can try to pretend these issues don’t exist and then be surprised when a gay marriage amendment pops up and is surprisingly successful in a state. I think the better strategy is to take it head on and we’ve got to show up. These people of faith may be operating in part out of unfamiliarity, or they may be insular in terms of how they’re viewing LGBT issues, they may not understand how what they say may be hurtful, and the only way for us to be able to communicate that is to show up.

Obama's position is nuanced, but, that is essentially the nature of coalition politics. The bottom line: Obama is still a viable, albeit slightly wounded, candidate. Obama's advisors did not serve him well—Chris Crain makes a strong argument for this case—and hopefully some staffing changes will be made. The Illinois senator also reaffirms his commitment to LGBT issues and reminds gay voters of the opposition he faced—from the left and the right—when he spoke at the mega-church of conservative pastor Rick Warren.

Pam Spaulding has done a yeoman's job sitting in for Glenn Greenwald at Salon and agrees this is not a deal-killer, but, the inevitable result of courting the evangelical vote: "Once he opened the Pandora's box of personal religious convictions, Obama—or any candidate—cannot then step back and pretend he holds no responsibility for crossing that line when the going gets tough."

More BARACK OBAMA.
More DONNIE MCCLURKIN.
More RELIGION.
More POLITICS.

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Comments

[Aaron C.]

Well, all well and good...but I'm seeing this as nothing more than "damage control"...I remain "unconvinced" about his ability to manuever around sensitive issues.
He is desperately trying to be an "everyman"...and it's not working.

[Mel Smith]

Donnie McClurkin is a fraud. It's too bad black hetersexuals don't see through him. The Bible warns us to beware of false prophets. To me, Donnie McClurkin is the epitome of self hate; a sellout a phony, and a complete fraud. What he does is brainwash weak minded black people into believing he's a 'man of God.' He brainwashes black heterosexuals into believing that gay identity and molestation are one. Molested or not, the man was born with a heterosexual or a homosexual identity. Being molested does not turn someone gay or heterosexual. Science refutes his argument. For the records, heterosexuals molest way more children than us gays do.

[Don]

Beware people, gripes moans & bitching aside if Barack doesn't win the primary I think we may end up with another republican for president. Hillary's past is corrupt, she's hated by conservatives & not trusted by the middleground bipartisans. While on a domestic level I think she could be an ok leader, considering all the trouble we're having with the middle east, I wonder how effective she'll be in resolving our foreign issues. We all know (sadly) the role that women play in that region of the world, I'm wondering how the people of Iraq will respond to a white female American president having so much power in & over their country. Obama can't undue all the damage that's been done but his election might soften their opinion of Americans & that's a mighty big MIGHT. Bush during his 1st term used to send Powell over there quite often because he figured they would respond a little better to someone (a male) of African descent. Given our current circumstances I'm afraid not to vote for Obama, I see our situation going from bad to worse in so many ways if he doesn't make it. Btw I'm not against a female president I don't trust Hillary & I think the timing is bad.

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[chris-leo]

let me get this...um... straight. if i was running for president, and i DIDN'T open up a dialog with the american nazi party, their members might not know that what they're saying could be hurtful to others??? really??

i hear what he's saying about opening dialog, but it's more than a "disagreement" when someone DISAGREES with whether you do or should exist.

[50]

Donnie McClurkin is not what he seems.

[Mel Smith]

I don't know about any of you, but as a 27-year-old black gay man, I just discovered that it really bothers me to think that heterosexual blacks think they are better than me. Now, I guess they got somebody who they can look down on. I mean, that does not bother any of you? It's true: even they think they are better than us, and we actually believe that sh!t. Considering that I know how every other group feels about them, they got some damn nerve!