Keith Boykin is a Black Gay leader. He is President of the National Black
Justice Coalition. He also was an adviser to President Clinton. He has
recently written a book on the "Down Low". Keith's blog entry on this
includes a link to the "sermon" so you can listen to it and decide for
yourself.
From:
http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/001396.html
Every now and then, someone makes remarks so outrageous that they have to
be seen and heard to be believed. Two weeks ago, Rev. Willie Wilson, the
pastor at Washington's Union Temple Baptist Church, did just that when he
delivered a viciously homophobic sermon that blamed lesbianism for almost
everything wrong in America.
That alone would be bad enough if Wilson were not the executive director of
the Millions More Movement, Minister Louis Farrakhan's effort to
commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. You may recall
that I met with Farrakhan back in February in Atlanta. At the time, he
promised that gays and lesbians would be welcome at the new march. But if
Rev. Wilson's comments are indicative of the way gays and lesbians will be
treated, will gays and lesbians be there at all, and if so will we come as
participants or protesters?
In his remarks, Rev. Wilson suggested that black women are becoming
lesbians because they are making more money than their black counterparts,
and he argued that "lesbianism is about to take over our community."
Then, in a broad swipe at lesbian sexuality, Wilson said, "when you get
down to this thing, women falling down on another woman, strapping yourself
up with something, it ain't real. That thing ain't got no feeling in it. It
ain't natural."
Later, he turned his attention to gay men, claiming "Any time somebody got
to slap some grease on your behind, and stick something in you, it's
something wrong with that. Your butt ain't made for that."
EY: This "sermon" caused a firestorm in Washington DC. The Washington
Blade (a gay and lesbian newspaper) has called for Willie Wilson to be
fired from the Millions More March.
Wilson eventually "apologised" - but his apology included more ludicrous
nonsense.
Keith Boykin on the "apology":
http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/001411.html
Rev. Willie Wilson Apologizes...Sorta
By Keith Boykin
July 30, 2005 01:12 PM
in <http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/cat_sexuality.html>sexuality
July has not been a good month for Rev. Willie Wilson. On July 3, Wilson,
the pastor of Union Temple Church in Washington, DC., delivered a
<http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2005_07_18.html>homophobic sermon about
black lesbians. When the sermon surfaced, black gays and lesbians were
outraged, and many called for Wilson to resign from his position as
executive director of the Millions More Movement March. Wilson said his
comments were taken out of context but also refused to apologize. Now
Wilson has issued a formal statement on the matter.
His statement is a first step but it's not nearly enough. In fact, it's not
even an apology at all. Wilson still seems not to understand the
offensiveness of his remarks. His defensive statment begins by repeating
the red herring that his comments were made "within the confines" of his
church. Yeah, so what? It doesn't matter where it's said, the point is, it
was said. In fact, saying it in church makes it worse, not better.
Wilson calls himself the victim of "extreme public ridicule and labeling,"
but he seems to ignore the fact that he vicitmized black lesbians and gays
by demonizing them to his entire congregation.
In his non-apology apology, Wilson expressed regret for the tone of his
"intemperate" remarks, but he would not apologize for the substance of the
remarks themselves. "I do not apologize for bringing to the forefront a
very critical and crucial issue facing our young girls as well as the
survival of the black family," he said.
Like many other black nationalist thinkers, Wilson retreats to the familiar
"what goes on in the family, stays in the family" rhetoric that is often
used to justify the perpetuation of the status quo by oppressors. Using
Wilson's logic, an abused woman should not even call the police when her
husband beats her because, after all, what goes on in the family, stays in
the family.
Describing himself as a "preacher-prophet," Wilson says it is his
responsibility "to do critical analysis and assessment of what is going on
in society and then to offer a Biblical, spiritual and moral response."
Maybe that's the case, but there was little critical analysis when Wilson
told his church that his son couldn't find a date because the straight
girls were "ugly" and the rest of the girls were gay. In his July 3 sermon,
Rev. Wilson said, "Any time somebody got to slap some grease on your
behind, and stick something in you, it's something wrong with that. Your
butt ain't made for that." Was that critical analysis?
In his so-called apology, Wilson also complains about a "severe crisis in
the Black community." Is it teen pregnancy? Is it rampant gun violence? Is
it poverty, homelessness, unemployment, lack of health care? No, says
Wilson, it's young girls in same-sex relations, a situation he says is "so
grave that it should be declared a national emergency." The "very survival"
of the black family is being threatened by this crisis, he writes.
Wilson also portrays himself as the guardian of family values in our
community, but homobphobia and heterosexism undermine many of our strong
families. If Wilson is serious about making amends, he and the Millions
More Movement will take immediate action to include black LGBT leaders,
groups and organizers in the planning of the Millions More March. And they
should invite not one, but at least two black openly LGBT speakers to
participate in the march. That's the least they can do.
But that's just the beginning. If the Millions More Movement is serious
about reaching millions more black people, they should start by repudiating
Willie Wilson's hateful remarks and firing him from his job.
EY: Now the Washington Post writes a followup article investigating
Wilson's bizzarre claims.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201914.html
I've got several questions:
1. Is there a local organizing committee in Minneapolis for this March?
2. If so, I'd urge the organizing committee to let the powers that be know
that Willie Wilson should not be ED for this march.
Union Temple Baptist Church
1225 W Street, S.E.
Washington, DC 20020
Website: <http://www.uniontemple.com>www.uniontemple.com
General E-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: (202) 678-8822 (phone number may be down now)
Fax: (202) 678-6309
Millions More Movement
Million Man March Office
7400 South Stony Island Ave.
Chicago, IL 60649
Website: <http://www.millionmanmarch.org/>http://www.millionmanmarch.org/
Phone: (773) 667-6031
Fax: (773) 667-6409
I'm curious what Tom Prichard from the Minnesota Family Council would say
about this type of "sermon". It seems like this is inappropriate language
for children.
What's interesting is that this story has been covered on Black Gay blogs,
but hasn't been picked up on the big blogs - Americablog especially - which
normally cover stories that affect the gay community.
This type of "sermon" to me sounds profoundly unchristian.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
"You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on
freedom, and that means freedom for everyone - not just you! You may leave
the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the
world is full of idiots, and probably always will be." --Article II of the
Bill of Non-Rights.
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