News: Donnie McClurkin, Purdue, Guidos, Cheesecake Factory

Longtime HIVAIDS activist Howard Jacobs dies in L.A. at 45.

The surface of Mars as revealed by orbiter.

New MTV reality series to feature Jersey shore house "full of the hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos."

Purdue students protest professor Bert Chapman's blog post arguing the "economic case against homosexuality". Chapman: "As a conservative Christian, I firmly believe the homosexual lifestyle is morally wrong, and my blog posting sought to emphasize there are economic and public policy implications to widespread and open acceptance of this lifestyle."

10-year-old refuses to say Pledge of Allegiance until there is liberty and justice for gays.

Marriage equality in Connecticut one year later: "Fully half of the gay and lesbian couples who wed in Connecticut were from other states or other countries. They came from South Dakota, Mississippi, Russia, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Israel, among other far-flung locales. But above all, they came from New York: 455 Empire State couples traveled to Connecticut to marry."

Balloon boy family to plead GUILTY to hoax.

High school band marches in Palm Springs Gay Pride parade.

Human Rights Campaign throws support behind Kirsten Gillibrand: "From her personal lobbying of the New York legislature in support of marriage rights to helping garner support for a Senate hearing on repealing 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,' Gillibrand has time and again stood for fairness for all."

Corpus Christi, the Terrence McNally play featuring a gay Jesus, to be mounted in Orange County, California.

Remember the homoerotic Cheesecake Factory hazings from July 2008? The case has been settled, in the amount of $345,000.

And he only gets better with age.

PREVIEW: Rihanna's Rated R.

Jon Stewart catches Sean Hannity using Glenn Beck's "enhanced crowd" teabagger march footage. Hannity, although it "pained him," admitted Stewart was right.

Kim Kardashian fitted with prosthetic face.

Gore Vidal: a life in pictures.

Reverend Donnie McClurkin goes off on gays: ""God did not call young people to such perversion. Society has failed him, his church has failed him ... I would be homosexual to this day if Jesus hadn't delivered."

Title and summary for Prop 8 repeal ballot language to be released next week: "As soon as the approval is given, the Restore Equality 2010 campaign will have 150 days to collect approximately 700,000 valid pen and ink signatures by voters registered in California. To account for the invalid signatures that are bound to show up on the forms, the Restore Equality 2010 campaign is aiming to collect 1 million signatures within the 150 day timeframe."

Clinton References McClurkin in Swing at Obama's Gay Record

In an interview today with the Washington Blade, editor Kevin Naff asks Hillary Clinton about "critics who say Obama is more likely to address gay issues in front of a non-gay audience." (Obama specifically mentioned gays and lesbians most recently in his MLK Day speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and in his speech following Ted Kennedy's endorsement)

Responds Clinton: "I find it ironic since Sen. Obama had his gospel tour with [Donnie] McClurkin that he and his supporters would take credit for that."

Clinton again defended her position on DOMA. She favors repealing the portion which prohibits the recognition of same-sex couples while Obama favors repealing the entire act.

Says Clinton: "I believe that my position reflects the experience I had fighting against the Federal Marriage Amendment. At the time, I was chair of the Democratic Steering & Outreach Committee and I worked hand-in-hand with [the Human Rights Campaign] and other members of the LGBT community to stop the amendment. We’d already seen the success the Republican majority had had in 2002, 2004 in using this as a wedge issue. I was able to explain to other senators that DOMA ensured marriage would be left to the states — that was critical in defeating the amendment. It gave us an argument with both Republicans and Democrats. We cannot count on the political atmosphere staying favorable. That’s something we’ve learned to our unfortunate detriment and I think we are in a much stronger position to bury forever the Federal Marriage Amendment and other mean-spirited, discriminatory legislation."

Clinton also speaks on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' ENDA, and her willingness to use forceful advocacy towards gay rights measures.

An interview with Hillary Clinton [washington blade]

Obama Talks Gay Marriage, Rights, McClurkin to MTV and Iowa

On Monday, Barack Obama appeared at an MTV event in Cedar Rapids Iowa, at which he was asked about his position on same-sex marriage, and also about Donnie McClurkin's recent appearance at the South Carolina "Embrace the Change" gospel tour. Watch the video above for his answers.

My problem with Obama's position on McClurkin is that though he says he wants to "teach" people about homophobia, there was clearly no "teaching" that went on at the "Embrace the Change" tour. An "ex-gay" who was allowed to emcee the entire event publicly celebrated his "deliverance from homosexuality" during the event's final hour. Did gays have any chance to rebut McClurkin's remarks to those at the event so they could "learn" about tolerance? To me, "reaching out" to people would be exposing them to an alternative perspective. Is having white gay Reverend Andy Sidden read a prayer at the beginning of the concert a real effort to do that? I don't think so.

I think it's interesting that Obama claims the gospel tour was "a while back" when it was Sunday. He's clearly anxious to put this episode behind him.

Obama was also asked about same-sex marriage at an event the same day at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Said Obama: "You want the word marriage and I believe that the issue of marriage has become so entangled - the word marriage has become so entangled with religion - that it makes more sense for me as president, with that authority, to talk about the civil rights that are conferred [with civil unions]."

Iowans grill Obama over his position on gay marriage [des moines register]

Also, after the jump, a letter that the Obama campaign is sending out in response to letters of complaint about McClurkin and the gospel tour.

McClurkin at Obama Event: "God Delivered Me from Homosexuality"

More details have emerged regarding Rev. Donnie McClurkin's appearance yesterday at Barack Obama's "Embrace the Change" Gospel Tour. Actually, McClurkin made more than an appearance. He emceed the event, the Washington Post notes. Andy Sidden, the openly gay minister whom Obama called in at the last minute to counter the furor over McClurkin, offered the event's opening prayer: "Sidden's prayer noted the importance of people of all races, backgrounds and sexual orientations coming together."

It sounds as though the only change Rev. Donnie McClurkin hoped folks would embrace, however, was the one he claims to have made from gay to straight, because it was on that note that the controversial singer went out.

Said McClurkin near the end of his appearance: "I'm going to say something that's going to get me in trouble...They accuse me of being anti-gay and a bigot. We don't believe in discrimination. We don't believe in hatred, and if you do you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's the whole premise of God. That's the whole premise of Christ is love, love, love. But there is a side of Christ that deals in judgment, and all sin is against God...Don't call me a bigot or anti-gay, when I have been touched by the same feelings. When I have suffered with the same feelings. Don't call me a homophobe, when I love everybody … Don't tell me that I stand up and I say vile words against the gay community because I don't. I don't speak against the homosexual. I tell you that God delivered me from homosexuality."

Calling the last hour of the concert "a revival meeting about the lightning rod he has become for the Obama campaign, the NY Times reports that "[McClurkin] 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."

And via AmericaBlog comes this addendum from the Washington Post:

"...while the crowd left excited, it was clear the campaign still regarded the controversy as complicated. Aides gave reporters a three-page memo detailing McClurkin's and Obama's views on gay rights that noted in capital letters 'MCCLURKIN DOES NOT WANT TO CHANGE GAYS AND LESBIANS WHO ARE HAPPY WITH THEIR LIVES AND HAS CRITICIZED CHURCH LEADERS WHO DEMONIZE HOMOSEXUALS,' with quotes detailing those statements from the singer. The next paragraph then stated 'OBAMA DOES NOT AGREE WITH MCCLURKIN'S VIEWS ON GAYS.'"

Recently...
Gay Group Protests as Rev. Donnie McClurkin Takes Obama's Stage [tr]
Barack Obama Defends Gay Advocacy, Gospel Tour [tr]
Michael Signorile Interviews Obama's Gay Rev. Andy Sidden [tr]

Gay Group Protests as Rev. Donnie McClurkin Takes Obama's Stage

About two dozen members of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement held a protest outside the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina yesterday as "ex-gay" Reverend Donnie McClurkin took to the stage in an appearance that generated controversy last week after Obama refused to drop the singer from is three-day "Embrace the Change" gospel tour.

The AP reports that McClurkin told a welcoming crowd: "We're here. We're here and we're glad we're here."

They add, "Obama did not attend the event, but in a video played for more than 2,000 at the Township Auditorium he called the evening's acts 'inspirational talent' that were among his favorites."

Obama spoke to The Advocate in an interview late Friday in which he defended McClurkin's inclusion (which he attempted to counter earlier in the week by adding openly gay minister Andy Sidden to the tour) by arguing that homophobia in the black community is best conquered through faith outreach:

"Part of what I have done in my campaign and in my career is be willing to go to churches and talk to ministers and tell them exactly what I think. And go straight at some of these issues of homophobia that exist in the church in a way that no other candidate has done. I believe that’s important. We can try to pretend these issues don’t exist and then be surprised when a gay marriage amendment pops up and is surprisingly successful in a state. I think the better strategy is to take it head on and we’ve got to show up. These people of faith may be operating in part out of unfamiliarity, or they may be insular in terms of how they’re viewing LGBT issues, they may not understand how what they say may be hurtful, and the only way for us to be able to communicate that is to show up."

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Barack Obama Defends Gay Advocacy, Gospel Tour

Barack Obama spoke to The Advocate regarding his decision to include Rev. Donnie McClurkin on his three-day gospel tour of South Carolina, as well as his history of advocacy for the LGBT community. Here's an excerpt:

ADVOCATE: I know you’re in a difficult position here trying to balance these two constituencies -- but by keeping McClurkin on the tour, didn't you essentially choose your Christian constituency over your gay constituency?

OBAMA: No, I profoundly disagree with that. This is not a situation where I have backed off my positions one iota. You’re talking to somebody who talked about gay Americans in his convention speech in 2004, who talked about them in his announcement speech for the president of the United States, who talks about gay Americans almost constantly in his stump speeches. If there’s somebody out there who’s been more consistent in including LGBT Americans in his or her vision of what America should be, then I would be interested in knowing who that person is. One of the things that always comes up in presidential campaigns is, if you’ve got multiple supporters all over the place, should the candidate then be held responsible for the every single view of every one of his supporters? And obviously that’s not possible. And if I start playing that game, then it will be very difficult for me to do what I think I can do best, which is bring the country together.

Read the full interview here.