At the same Congress and White House debate changing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the military policy that limits service by openly gays or lesbians, another "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is in the news: The traditional black church's often hypocritical acceptance of black gay men who are "tolerated" as long they are not open or dare to demand equal footing. The most recent example: Terrell Carter's "come to Jesus" moment while acknowledging "gossip" around his sexuality but refusing to admit the truth. The audience clapped and praised him.
Memphis Commercial Appeal columnist Wendi C. Thomas writes a searing op-ed that describes the traditional black church as "a tangle of theology, hypocrisy and secrecy." The column is a must-read.
The hypocrisy is that the black church has always been home to gay men and women. Yet while largely ignoring sexuality in all its other forms, the church often delivers messages of shame to gay people, who endure it while they sit in the pews and sing in the choirs. The secrecy demands that in a traditional black church, gay people must hide. The rumors of prominent black Christians who are gay are rampant, but only one—singer Donnie McClurkin—acknowledges having had sex with men.
"It's not so much that the black church doesn't want gay men, they don't want openly gay men," said Devon Berry, who is black and gay. "They don't want you in there being proud of who you are."
Berry, 22, was raised in traditional black churches, but no longer attends church. However, his boyfriend does—in fact, his boyfriend is the choir director at a local black church. The couple's second date was at the 2008 Church of God in Christ's annual convocation in Memphis. In fact, Berry said, every man he dated he has met through church.
Thomas attempted to contact a number of the larger, more vocal anti-gay black churches, even one who bought a full-page ad that slammed gay a proposed gay rights measure. None would talk, she says. "Few churches talk about sexuality—gay or otherwise—because if they did, they'd have to address the promiscuity among heterosexual parishioners and all the married pastors with girlfriends."
There is so much shame, guilt and hypocrisy in the church in general and black church in particular. As seen in the many recent comments at Rod 2.0, black gay men in the church are pre-programmed to "cover " for each other and help "conspire to keep the closet doors shut", as several readers observed. It's a bizarre alternate reality.
A "date" at the annual convocation of the Church of God in Christ? Surely this is one of the most anti-gay and oppressive black churches, yet, boasts a large gay underground. It seems to go hand in hand, no?.
Oh and for bonus points, read the almost 300 comments. Blatantly homophobic and typical "love the sinner, hate the sin", Leviticus-quoting hate that passes as "love" in the Bible Belt.
The Straight and Narrow [Memphis Commcl Appeal]
