'Ex-Gay' Controversy Mars Gospel Concert Tour for Obama
By: Administrative Account | Source: CNSNews.com
October 29, 2007 8:58AM EST

By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
October 29, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - A gospel tour held over the weekend to raise money for the presidential campaign of Rep. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was criticized by homosexual groups because it included performances by an "ex-gay" minister who believes that sexual orientation is a matter of choice.

Grammy Award-winning singer Donnie McClurkin was one of several participants in the "Embrace the Change" tour in South Carolina, which Joshua DuBois -- the campaign's national religious affairs director -- said on the candidate's Web site would demonstrate how Obama's family values and faith are "bringing all people together around his movement for fundamental change."

"Bringing together artists of this caliber, on one stage, in support of one man, speaks volumes about the purpose of that man," said Holly Davis Carter, whose company, RelevA Entertainment, spearheaded the event. "And collectively, we embrace this change" even though Obama was campaigning on the West Coast and therefore did not attend the tour.

However, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) homosexual advocacy group released a statement last week calling McClurkin "an 'ex-gay' gospel singer and minister who has called homosexuality a 'curse'" and has "repeatedly stated his opposition to homosexuality as being against 'the intention of God.'"

"There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people and their allies," added HRC President Joe Solmonese. "That's a message that certainly doesn't belong on any presidential candidate's stage."

Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out -- which describes itself as "a non-profit organization that counters right-wing propaganda, exposes the 'ex-gay' myth and educates America about gay life" -- also used a news release to urge Obama to "part ways with this divisive preacher who is clearly singing a different tune than the stated message of the campaign."

Attempts to speak with McClurkin by Cybercast News Service were unsuccessful by press time, but in his book, "Eternal Victim, Eternal Victor," the singer/minister wrote that he was raped at 8 and 13 years of age by adult male relatives.

"The abnormal use of my sexuality continued until I came to realize that I was broken," he stated. Once he accepted Christ, he became "a saved and sanctified man."

After singing at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, McClurkin -- who is now pastor of the Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y. -- won a Grammy Award in the category of Traditional Soul Gospel Album for his 2005 album, "Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs."

"Sexuality, everything is a matter of choice," McClurkin told the Associated Press during a telephone interview last week, when he stated that he does not believe in discriminating against homosexuals. "What people do in their bedrooms and who they are as human beings are two different things," he said.

Obama's campaign responded to the controversy by adding Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly homosexual, to the list of participants for Sunday's final event in Columbia.

"I strongly believe that African Americans and the GLBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights," the candidate said in a statement.

"And so, I strongly disagree with Rev. McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as president of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division," he added.

Homosexual activists quickly expressed their disappointment that Obama did not sever his ties with McClurkin.

However, Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX), told Cybercast News Service on Friday that such activities by homosexual activists "demonstrates a disregard for diversity and a refusal to respect a basic human right to dignity and self-determination."

"Ex-gays have the same right to participate in the political process as other Americans and should not have to endure this type of abuse because they chose to leave homosexuality," Griggs stated.

While homosexual advocacy groups "demand hate crimes laws and sexual orientation non-discrimination legislation," they would deny the same protections to ex-gays, which she called "irrational behavior towards those who have overcome unwanted same-sex attractions."

Griggs also called it ironic that homosexual activists -- who often compare their efforts to those of the African-American civil rights movement -- "have turned against African-Americans who no longer want to engage in homosexuality."

"Yet many in the African-American community, especially black churches, support the ex-gay community," she stated. "PFOX has spoken at black churches and exhibited at African-American conferences, including the NAACP and Congressional Black Caucus."

As a result, Griggs urged homosexual organizations to show the same kind of compassion and acceptance of ex-gays that African-Americans have. "Gay groups must stop promoting discrimination against former homosexuals," she stated. "Gay activists cannot claim sympathy as victims when they victimize others."

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