Openly Gay Television Anchor to Run for Detroit City Council

Openly gay veteran Detroit television anchor Charles Pugh will enter the Detroit City Council race, reports his former station FOX 2.

Pugh recently signed off as an anchor and radio host and says a formal announcement is planned May 3. The veteran broadcaster is one of the very few openly black gay local or national television news personalities. "I'm opposed to the word 'coming out'," Pugh tells Darian Aaron. "You can't come out when you've never been in. I'm not in. I don't hide the fact that I'm gay. I don't hide it at work. I don't hide it with my friends. I'm not ashamed of anything."

Pugh's candidacy makes history in more ways than one, the Michigan Messenger reports: "Pugh's sexuality will attract a great deal of attention because he’ll be the first openly gay candidate in Detroit to run for city council in anyone’s memory—and do it in one of the country’s largest African-American cities where openly gay elected officials are rare if present at all."

Alicia Skillman, who is black and lesbian, was preparing to run for city council this cycle before she became executive director of the Triangle Foundation, the Detroit-based gay-rights advocacy group. Skillman says Detroit's problems are so great that voters will look past sexuality. "I don’t believe they’re going to care about what a person does in their private life, their orientation. I think they’re going to care about whether or not the person can do what’s best for the city and do it ethically."

Detroit's former longtime Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick—the anti-gay, serial adulterer who pushed a same-sex marrriage ban—mayor was sent to jail for corruption. The city council is under FBI investigation for bribery and corruption. Council member Martha Reeves is also facing lawsuits and investigations. General Motors is cutting thousands of jobs and shedding its Pontiac brand. Hopefully voters in the overwhelmingly black Motor City will be able to look past sexuality because the regular way of doing business in Detroit ... is not not working.

Thanks KEN G

AFTER THE JUMP, FOX 2 covers Pugh's decision.

Comments

[Saadiq]

This is wonderful! I grew up in Detroit (west side!) and moved away many years ago. I am so happy that we can actually witness a black gay man willing to be out and proud and run for office.

Good luck Mr Pugh!

[Chitown Kev]

Native eastsider here and this is such great news after what Coleman Young and Kilpatrick dragged my hometown through.

[Anderson]

i wish him the best. from what i saw and heard, charles pugh is out and visible and gives time and money to lgbt and aids causes. i don't know what his record was on kwame kilpatrick...obviously he could not be too critical as a news anchor but from what i was told he was fairly supportive of him on his radio show. but that is what i was told and didn't hear myself.

but best of luck, i want to see how this ends.

[Sean B]

Never heard of him before but I'm impressed.

Oh and Mr, Pugh is quite handsome too!

[Derrick from Philly]

Go on, brave soul! And I love those eye brows... courage.

[Chad Montgomery]

Radio host Mildred Gaddis, who is based in Detroit, will have a field day with this one. I wonder will she and her listeners be able to keep their homophobia in check on the radio? I don't think so.

Yea, good luck Charles, you get 'em!

[Former COGIC]

@ Chad:

Mildred Gaddis is a hack and typical of black radio hosts. Mildred and Roland Martin are cut from the same gay baiting, "Christian" cloth.

I wish Charles Pugh all the best. Detroit has a great soul and a great history. It needs a new generation of leaders. The city has come to expect race baiters and poverty pimps.

[KB]

THANK YOU ROD!!!!! Charles represents the best of us. You would be amazed at the respect and reverence he receives throughout our city and region! He is stepping into a position where integrity and honesty have been void i.e. Monica Conyers, Kilpatrick. FYI-Charles took Kilpatrick to task over his homophobic rant and had him visit our Pride events for the rest of his tenure.

[Oliver Simpson]

I discovered Charles Pugh one weekend while visiting Detroit for a conference. Every since then I try to keep up with his radio shows and check online and You Tube for video clips. Charles Pugh is dynamic, incredible, and represents CHANGE and the FUTURE. And that is real talk!

And yes, many thanks Rod. These are the type of stories we need to hear about in our community.

[alicia banks]

great news rod!

thanks

kwame k is a lewd rude national disgrace...

but

kudos to charles!!!

he is an inspiration and i hope he wins.

peace
ab

[keith]

I am a native Detroiter and still reside in the city. I wish him all the best. Despite all the problem and issues the "D" has, it is still a very church ran city ,very conservative there are many Catholics, COGIC, Baptist, Apostolics, ect here. There is almost two churches on every corner. I hope they Detroiter can look pass what is really a non issue. Well it should be a non issue. Our city council is Ghetto, the fight name call allt he time.

This is the city the put Martha Reeves on the city council as well as the wife of a congressman simply based upon name recognition. A former mayor's son, changed his name to his father name, had not really even lived in Detroit most of his life and won based upon the name of his father. I suspect our current interim mayor was elected to city council because his father was a well know civil rights activist here int he city. I hope the voters will become educated and vote for some one who is well spoken, educated and has soem actual knowledge. Good luck Mr Pugh You and the city will need it.

[Luther]

Good luck Mr Pugh, and, hopefully his sexuality won't be an issue, but, once the church folks get involved it will when the city needs new and fresh ideas. As my next door neighbors say about Detroit, two white women from Detroit and who lived in the city until moving west, the city needs new blood or it needs to close down and revert back to nature.

[Talarico]

Keith and KB:

Detroit is legendary for electing the sons, daughters and wives club. And celebrities too, as we have seen Miss Martha Reeves has been a mess as a council member. I surely would like to see Charles Pugh win the primary and win the election. He has very good name recognition and as KB mentioned has very high Q ratings. This could happen ...

[Frederick Smith]

I've known Charles for years. We grew up together. I think he definitely has what it takes to lead with positive energy and integrity. He's the type of young, educated, and progressive professional Detroit needs to attract, retain, and encourage if it's to have a future as a major city.

[S. Flemming]

I LOVE him ... he used to be on TV in my hometown years ago. I don't know that he was out back then or not. He's great. I still remember him and Montel Williams did a little promo spot together because they looked so similar at the time.

[FST]

Good luck brotha Charles!

[Tryon]

daps to the brother, congratulations on your success

[Kevjack]

I wish him the best, and hope more same gender loving leaders follow his example and move into positions of elected public service.

But Detroit is just 'bout through. It is a piping hot mess of a vacant city too tied to an industry on it's last legs. Those leaders from Young on ran that city into the ground, through the soil, through the clay, and it is now at bedrock. The city can only get better (we hope).

[TheRevKev]

THIS is EXACTLY why I love Rod 2.0! Such broad spectrum and such insight! DO THE DANG THANG!!!

Bravo, Rod! I am so proud of this amazing Black Gay man!

[James M]

I'm in Detroit and I think this the best news I heard in a LONG time. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for a class assignment (even going to school with his adopted son) and he was VERY smart and educated, and he definitely had an awesome personality. He had a tough bringing up, but you would never know from the way he acts. He is also on the radio stations in detroit and is labeled the "Oprah of Detroit Radio stations" because after every news report he says something positive for Detroiters to keep there heads up. He is the PERFECT choice for Detroit and the PERFECT example fro black gay men of Detroit!