Over the weekend, Barack Obama held his gospel concert tour stop in Columbia, S.C., complete with "ex-gay" musical star Donnie McClurkin, an inclusion that raised questions about the senator's priorities when it comes to gaining supporters. As the Times reports, McClurkin made a point to incorporate his anti-gay messages in the concert:
The whole controversy might have been forgotten in the swell of gospel sound except Mr. McClurkin turned the final half hour of the three-hour concert into a revival meeting about the lightning rod he has become for the Obama campaign.
He approached the subject gingerly at first. Then, just when the concert had seemed to reach its pitch and about to end, Mr. McClurkin returned to it with a full-blown plea: "Don't call me a bigot or anti-gay when I have suffered the same feelings," he cried.
"God delivered me from homosexuality," he added. He then told the audience to believe the Bible over the blogs: "God is the only way." The crowd sang and clapped along in full support.
In order to fend off criticism of McClurkin's role in the tour, Obama put out a statement last week affirming his belief that "gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens."
I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend 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.
McClurkin's inclusion has drawn fire from the LGBT community, the Obama campaign letting him go unhinged for half and hour of the three-hour event surely sealed the deal. It's unclear whether any gains among black Christian voters will negate the loss in the LGBT community, but perhaps more importantly, the loss among Democrats in general. Not only did he invite someone who has made hatred a central part of his agenda to take part in his campaign, but they essentially gave him a giant platform to spread his message to the several-thousand people at the tour stop and everyone else in the country via the inevitable news coverage. Some have said it shows how big Obama wants his tent to be; others say it just indicates he hasn't quite figured out how to pitch one yet. But If he's serious about this campaign, this sort of gaffe is both unaffordable and entirely preventable. Rule of thumb: don't invite bigots to speak for your campaign.
--Kate Sheppard
