Gay community will protest Obama’s Columbia fundraiser
By Becci Robbins

Our Co-Chair Rev. Bennie Colclough left a Progressive Network meeting last night to dial into a conference call with the Barack Obama campaign and a handful of SC gay rights activists to discuss the rising controversy over a “healed” gay minister headlining a fundraiser in Columbia this Sunday. From all accounts, the call got heated and ended with two more calls: the Obama camp’s call to stand firm and the activists’ call to arms.

The latter has called for a protest of the event on Sunday at 5pm at the Township in downtown Columbia.

Rev. Donnie McClurkin claims to be sexually reformed, and now preaches that homosexuality is a choice. For a flavor of the man, check out his web site. (Be patient while it loads all its bells and whistles.)

The last-minute inclusion of Rev. Andy Sidden, the openly gay Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ (a Network member) has done nothing to appease the gay community.

In a statement, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said he thanked Obama for including Sidden but said he was disappointed McClurkin will remain part of Obama’s program.

“There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin’s message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies,” he said. “That’s a message that certainly doesn’t belong on any presidential candidate’s stage.”

Obama is on record speaking against homophobia. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not gay marriage.

In a letter to the Obama campaign that was cc’d around, SC GLPM’s Tony Snell put it bluntly: “Adding a gay minister at the McClurkin concert is a weak attempt to appease the LGBT community. It’s like asking Julian Bond to speak at a Klan rally in order to ease the pain. I was told by a campaign staffer yesterday that your umbrella had to be expanded to cover many people with differing opinions. I say the Obama umbrella has a big hole in it – providing little to no refuge for gays and lesbians. It feels like we’re getting soaked wet and left out to dry!”

Today SCEC issued this press release:

According to the Obama campaign website, “With the help of many talented, spirit-filled supporters, Barack Obama’s campaign is hosting Gospel concerts throughout South Carolina on October 26, 27, and 28 to bring South Carolinians together for a few evenings of song and praise.”

While Senator Barack Obama may be committed to bringing people of all faiths together, he has chosen to ignore the concerns of the LGBT community and its allies in the clergy. Against the recommendations of South Carolina Equality Coalition (SCEC) to remove Donnie McClurkin, a self-proclaimed “ex-gay” from their upcoming gospel concert and fundraiser in Columbia, the Obama for America campaign is proceeding with the event as planned.

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Pay attention!
By Becci Robbins

Tonight we got a call from Jennifer Tague seeking counsel after her son, Tommy, was muzzled today on the grounds of Dutch Fork High School in Columbia.

Tommy Gordon is a 14-year-old in the 9th grade. He has uppity roots. His grandmother is Harriet Hancock, the Columbia lawyer and longtime Network member and gay rights activist who has been shaking up the state’s homophobic and closeted communities since her son came out in the ’80s, when it was still dangerous to so. It’s still a harsh culture for gay folks, but is much less so over the past decades in large part because of Harriet and others who have made it their life’s work to seek parity and respect for all people.

That’s just background for this account of the incident, along with a photo of a friend (his political polar opposite) sporting her message:

today at school a lot of kids who are pro-life wore shirts reflecting that view (shirts with big red lettering that says PRO LIFE, SILENCED FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE SILENCED or things of that nature.). i heard that kids were doing this so i made myself a Pro-Choice shirt that reads:

pro life is sexist. a woman should have the right to choose what she does with her body.

i was stopped while i was walking toward my first class of the day by an administrator who said: “We don’t do that here! Go to the office and change your shirt now!” and was forced to put a bright-orange shirt on with the words “Today I Violated The Dutch Fork High School Dress Code”.

i understood and wore the shirt all day. meanwhile the people who were wearing their Pro-Life shirts did not have to censor their shirts. i was deeply humiliated to have to wear this shirt that marked me as a rule-breaker while other kids who had done the same thing as i, but held different views about the issue than i did, were allowed to continue wearing their shirts.

my mom told me to email you about this.

thanks!

Tommy Gordon

this is an example of what the pro life people were wearing today. its a picture of my friend alix, in her pro life shirt, taken from her myspace site. the lettering on the shirt is backwards because the picture was taken with a camera phone.

**************

While it’s no surprise that Tommy has decided to make waves at Dutch Fork, my favorite part of the story is that, after wearing the dreaded orange tee all day, he was allowed to take it off during 6th Period, when his teacher instructed him that as long as there was a pro-choice shirt being worn in the classroom (there was) there would be equal exposure for tees of a different political hue. Kudos to Mr. Geliske.

Profound thanks to the good professor, who understands that democracy is not a spectator sport. And hats off to Tommy and Alix, who understand that friendship trumps ideology.

We could all learn something here.

The Network has lost one of its own. Stephanie Williams was co-chairwoman of the South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Gethsemane Baptist Church, 117 Clear Pond Rd., in Bamberg.

Stephanie Williams

Here is a story that ran in today’s paper.

Crusading S.C. AIDS activist dies
By CZERNE REID

Stephanie Williams has lost her long, brave struggle with AIDS, but she lives in the memories of many around the state and nation whose lives she touched.

Williams died Sunday at her mother’s home in Bamberg, with relatives at her bedside. She leaves a son, Brandon, and other family members.

She fought AIDS not just for her own life, but also for the lives of others. She fought the stigma that leaves many people to die alone rather than seek the help they need. She educated herself about HIV/AIDS, took on lawmakers about money for HIV prevention and care, and held hands with the dying.

“Loving thy neighbor as thyself is one of my greatest principles,” the 45-year-old Williams told The State in January.

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