Freeing Yourself From the Homophobic Lifestyle

If you are sure that your preacher has the mainline to God, then submit to his directions on how you should treat your neighbor.

If you know that your preacher and God have special visits, then follow every example his actions show you.

If you believe that your preacher knows what God wants, then surrender when he tells you that women are only meant to be helpmeets.

If you have faith that your preacher represents God on earth, then yield when he tells you that LGBT, same-gender-loving people are condemned to hell.

If you accept the tradition that the Holy Spirit speaks through your preacher, then harden when he tells you to hate.

On the other hand, if your soul longs for a way to heal hurt caused by rejection, then understand that God stops pain through you. If you your mind questions why sexuality is a painful issue, then know that God shows love through you. If your heart doubts that LGBT, same-gender-loving people are no more perverted than anyone else, then remember that God speaks truth through you.

Some members of Black lesbian communities were distressed by the actions of Charlene E. Cothran, Venus Magazine Publisher, when she declared she was no longer lesbian. Cothran betrayed gays when she vilified us with her words. In her writing, which she now claims is for Black lesbians and gays who are … searching for a way out, Cothran connects lesbian and gay relationships with standing at the gates of hell. She writes that as a believer of the word of God she fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us. Cothran’s experience, actions, words, and decisions illustrate the quagmire many Black LGBT, same-gender-loving people face: I had been struggling with trying to reckon my spiritual upbringing with my lesbian lifestyle. Black preachers continually perpetuate the perception that a person cannot be Black, LGBT, same-gender-loving and Christian at the same time. These preachers emphasize the fact that domestic violence, child abuse, alcohol/drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, HIV/AIDS, STD’s and suicide are all present within our communities as evidence for their condemnation of us.

They do this all while they ignore the fact that heterosexuals are more likely to sexually abuse children. Alcoholism, promiscuity, and domestic violence are prevalent among heterosexuals, and HIV/AIDS is spreading most rapidly among black heterosexual women, youth, and men. Meanwhile, Black LGBT, same-gender-loving people who value belonging to a traditionally Black religious institution, feel violated, vilified, and threatened into silence about their sexuality.

Unfortunately, Cothran followed this same tactic when she connected the violent murder of her friend Venus Landin who died at the hands of her lesbian partner to her own salvation from the lesbian lifestyle. It is time for us to stop being scapegoats for all of the issues that threaten our society. It is time for us to learn how to be our own role models.