Eddie Long Files Court Papers Denying Sexual Allegations

Eddie Long has formally filed legal paperwork denying the claims of four young Black men that he had sex with them while they were 18 or younger and under his care as part of his youth ministry.

The Church that the founded, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church also filed paperwork denying the charges.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

On Monday [November 1], Long filed four separate responses, each about 30 pages and denying each accusation point by point. He admitted that he took the men on trips, but he denied the complaints of sexual contact. He did admit to hugging some of the men.

"Bishop Long admits that it is common among his church congregation for members to hug each other and hug the Bishop," the suit reads.

Long also admitted to giving the plaintiffs gifts, including cars, and helping them financially, but he denied that it was in exchange for sex. He said he has "provided sporadic financial assistance," and he routinely pays for rent and other expenses for New Birth members, according to the filings.

In the filings, Long also admitted to speaking on the phone with the men, but said he could not recall who initiated the calls. He also admitted that the men called him "Daddy," "Bishop" and "Granddaddy," but said many members of his congregation called him similar names.

"Bishop Long admits that he mentors many young men from challenged backgrounds who have often been without the benefit of a male role model," according to his filings.

In his filings, Long said he is a "bold revolutionary spiritual leader," and Long has built a ministry that places "special emphasis on outreach to men, reinforcing to men the importance of partnering with a ministry that will grow them spiritually."

Hmmm, I do believe perjury is a crime and bearing false witness is a sin, right? Does Eddie Long know that?

Outed Ill. Senate Candidate Kirk (R) Caught Discussing Voter Suppression

U.S. Representative Mark Kirk, who has recently been outed as a gay man by blogger Mike Rogers, and is currently in a very tight race with Alexi Giannoulias for the Illinois Senate seat once held by Barack Obama has been caught on tape discussing the long-running, illegal Republican practice of minority vote suppression.

Talking Points Memo reports:

Kirk's campaign confirmed the candidate was secretly taped last week as he was talking about his anti-voter fraud effort.

"These are lawyers and other people that will be deployed in key, vulnerable precincts, for example, South and West sides of Chicago, Rockford, Metro East, where the other side might be tempted to jigger the numbers somewhat," he said in the audio posted on YouTube.

As TPMMuckraker has reported, accusations from conservatives that ineligible voters are fraudulently stealing elections for Democrats have continued to fly in the 2010 campaign cycle, despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud. "Voter fraud" has been the rally cry for conservative groups seeking to make it more difficult to cast ballots and suppress minority voter turnout.

Kirk is widely considered the most moderate of the potential Republican senators to take office in January 2011. What's interesting here is that despite being known as a closeted homosexual, he is still a Republican at  heart, with the opposition to minority voting that that entails. Another example of the surprises intersectionality can produce!

Eddie Long Says He Will Fight Charges

Eddie Long, the Atlanta-area Black minister who is the target of four lawsuits claiming "coercive sexual activities" between Long and four teenaged Black men, has announced that he will fight the charges. The story is on the front page of today's New York Times.

Writer and Black gay AIDS activist Craig Washington has penned a brilliant "A Sermon for Bishop Eddie Long" which ends with this crescendo:

Whether or not Long actually committed the acts of which he was recently accused, this much is true: He is assuredly guilty of engendering fear and hatred of LGBT people among thousands. He has convinced countless numbers of gays that they are sinners whose salvation rests on becoming "reconditioned" into heterosexuality. Such toxic teachings reinforce the stigma that compromises HIV-prevention efforts as well as our mental and physical health.

One who cannot face aspects of himself that he despises will train that animus on another whom he regards as his opposite. Did he sell out countless individuals in order to throw congregants off the scent of his own hunt, the exploitation of young men? Was there a point when, at first, a few and then many knew what was happening and said nothing? How long will we enable the abuse perpetrated in word and deed by our pastors? When will we dare to speak the ugly, inconvenient truth even when we are afraid?

This story of this sullied bishop serves overdue notice to Christians across the nation who have bought and sold snake oil presented as holy water. It is a foreclosure warning to every black male pastor who deems the church his castle, and the women, gays and young who build it as no more than chattel to serve his appetites. It is a subpoena, a calling to account for all black men who endorse patriarchy as the most legitimate form of power in our communities. It is a stained diary page brought to light. It is truth. Amen. 

Pow!

UPDATED 10:55AM PDT 09/26/2010:
Via Rod 2.0 comes this brief statement from Eddie Long to the press:

"On the advice of counsel, I am not going to address the allegations and attacks against me, again as I stated earlier, I want this to be dealt with in a court of justice and not in the court of public opinion."

Celebrity Friday: Bishop Eddie Long

The stories about Bishop Eddie Long have become too prominent to not comment on at this blog. He is the well-known African-American pastor and head of an Atlanta-area mega-church who was accused this week  by three young men of forcing them to have sex with him after going on long vacation trips with them.

The video above is from a press conference announcing the filing of lawsuits by two of the accusers.

According to CBS News:

In lawsuits filed this week, three men who were members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church claimed Long coerced them into sexual relations with gifts including cars, cash and travel when they were 17 or 18 years old. The sprawling church in Lithonia, Ga., about 18 miles outside of Atlanta, counts politicians, celebrities and the county sheriff among its members and hosted four U.S. presidents during the 2006 funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King.

One of the claims in the lawsuits is that Long had sexual contact with the young men, who were enrolled in New Birth's ministry for teen boys, during trips he took them on in the U.S. and abroad. Gillen said the travel was part of a mentoring program that other young men also participated in.

Recently, pictures of Eddie Long taken by his phone which he sent to the men have surfaced, showing him wearing athletic wear or spandex. See below:

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Be prepared to become even more of a celebrity than you were before, "Bishop" Eddie Long!

Hat/tip to Wonder Man.

Homophobic Florida AG McCollum Loses Primary

Ha ha! The most satisfying result in yesterday's primary elections was the defeat of Florida Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum to a billionaire businessman named Rick Scott. Polls had given McCollum the edge, but he ran into trouble when word leaked about his decision to give more than $100,000 of tax payer money to gay rent-boy employer George Rekers to testify on behalf of the state's legal defense of its ban on adoption by gay and lesbian couples.

Formerly Closeted State Sen. Ashburn (R) Speaks

Patt Morrison (Occidental College alumna and KPCC radio host) spoke with state Senator Roy Ashburn for the Los Angeles Times about his life as secretly gay man voting as a Republican state senator against every piece of LGBT legislation he saw (and Equality California has sponsored and had enacted nearly 50 pieces of legislation since 2002) before being caught driving under the influence from a Sacramento gay bar with an un-named male companion last year.

To his credit, Ashburn came out publicly soon after and has voted in favor of LGBT equality since.

Here's an excerpt from his interview which appeared in today's paper:

Barry Goldwater had a gay grandson and didn't think government had any business in anybody's bedroom. But the recent brand of Republicanism has championed anti-gay issues.

I truly believe the conservative philosophy as embraced by Goldwater: that the government has no role in the private lives of the citizens. In the 1980s, there was a coming together of the religious right and the Goldwater right, sort of a marriage of convenience. It propelled Ronald Reagan to the presidency. Reagan never repudiated that but — this is just my view — I don't think he really embraced it either. In no way do I want to put down people of strong religious convictions; I happen to have very strong religious beliefs myself. But it was a merger of those two, and the religious [right's issues] were about same-sex rules, same-sex marriage, abortion, gun rights, these sort of core, litmus-test issues.

Did you feel uneasy with that combination? You did help to organize and speak at a rally in 2005 against a legislative bill sanctioning same-sex marriage.

How I ever got into that is beyond me. I was very uncomfortable with that, and I told one of my confidantes, "I'm never doing that again." It was not what I wanted to do, it wasn't me, but I helped to organize and lent my name.

A lot of people, gay or straight, are probably wondering why you voted even against issues like insurance coverage for same-sex partners.

The best I can do is to say that I was hiding. I was so in terror I could not allow any attention to come my way. So any measure that had to do with the subject of sexual orientation was an automatic "no" vote. I was paralyzed by this fear, and so I voted without even looking at the content. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of people under the law, regardless of our skin color, national origin, our height, our weight, our sexual orientation. This is a nation predicated on the belief that there is no discrimination on those characteristics, and so my vote denied people equal treatment, and I'm truly sorry for that.

It's well worth the read and shows why closeted gay Republicans should be outed as often as possible. It makes a difference.

Ricky Martin Comes Out

Confirming one of the most widely known "secrets" in Hollywood, Ricky Martin revealed on his website (and via Twitter) that he is indeed, gay. Martin, 38, has long-rumored to gay and recently was in the news when he became the father of two kids through surrogacy.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

Congrats, Ricky!

Anti-Gay GOP CA St. Sen. Ashburn Comes Out

Anti-gay California State Senator Roy Ashburn who was arrested last week on a DUI minutes after leaving a Sacramento gay bar with an unidentified Latino man has now come out as gay on a radio talk show:

“I am gay. Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long. It is something that is personal, and I don’t believe I felt with my heart that being gay would affect how I do my job,” Ashburn said.
Asked about his anti-gay voting record, Ashburn said, “I felt my duty, and I still feel this way, is to represent my constituents.”
Radio talk show host Inga Barks wanted assurances that Ashburn would continue to vote in a conservative manner on LGBT rights issues. Ashburn responded, “I believe firmly that my responsibility is to my constituents. I will take a careful look at each measure and apply that standard. How would they vote on this? How would they want me to vote on this,” adding that most people understood what that means.
“I don’t know how else to ask this, but are you going to live this lifestyle now in the district?” Barks asked. Ashburn, who announced he is not running for public office again, said, “I pray to God I can find peace. I want to go back to the senate and work hard for the people of my district…Now you know everything about me.”

Really? Do you always vote the way your conservative district wanted, Senator? How about when you voted for the budget?

Hat/tip GayPolitics.com

UPDATE 03/08/2010 6:20PM

Equality California has issued a statement on Ray Ashburn's acknowledgment of homosexuality today:

Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) who told listeners this morning on KERN Radio AM 1180 that he is gay.

“We can empathize with Senator Ashburn’s long and difficult journey to admit that he is gay. Equality California looks forward to working with the Senator to use his experience to educate the people in his district on why he deserves the same rights and privileges as a gay man as any other Californian.
“Senator Ashburn said he has voted against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-rights measures because of the preferences of voters in his district, but to date, no legislator has lost his or her seat for supporting Equality California-sponsored legislation. This includes legislators in a number of conservative districts, including in Bakersfield, Fresno and the Salinas Valley.
“Although we question the Senator’s claim that an overwhelming majority of voters in his district support employment and housing discrimination against LGBT individuals – bills he voted against, we are working hard to build support across the state among voters in all districts.”

Senator Ashburn has consistently received a zero percent on Equality California’s Legislative Scorecards since 2004, with the exception of 2007, when he scored 10 percent.

 

UPDATE: More Info On Homophobic GOP Hypocrite

There is a lot more information on the curious case of (recently divorced, father of four) GOP State Senator Ray Ashburn's DUI arrest Tuesday night in the proximity of a Sacramento gay bar with another man in the car at the time who has since been identified as a Latino man.

TPM Muckraker has these updates:

• Ashburn has taken a "personal leave" from the state Senate, his spokesman says.

• The Bakersfield Californian, Ashburn's home newspaper, had asked him twice about his sexuality in the past several years. After hearing a rumor that Ashburn was going to be outed by another newspaper, a columnist for the paper asked Ashburn last year if he is gay. Ashburn replied: "Why would that be anyone's business?"

• Ashburn's blood alcohol level was .14 when he was picked up by police, according to the Sacramento DA. The legal limit is .08.

• In 2005, Ashburn held a rally against gay marriage to protect "the future of our children."

KOVR CBS 13 has been doing excellent coverage of the story. Also, openly gay West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon is interviewed above revealing that he outed Ashburn on his Facebook page over 6 months ago.

Anti-Gay Sen. Ashburn (R) Busted For DUI Leaving Gay Bar

Republican State Senator Roy Ashburn was arrested 2 a.m. Wednesday morning for driving under the influence (DUI) less than a block from the well-known gay bar Faces in Sacramento. There was another man (so far, unidentified) in the car at the time of the arrest.

From Joe.My.God:

Ashburn has been a loud opponent of LGBT rights and has organized and hosted anti-gay marriage rallies for the Traditional Values Coalition. He also has a 100% rating from the anti-gay Capitol Resource Family Impact group for voting against every LGBT rights bill during his tenure.

[...]

Ashburn is being term-limited out of office in 2010. In January he surprised supporters by announcing that he would not be running for the U.S. House or the powerful California State Tax Board, two jobs he'd publicly had his eye on for the last year. Ashburn divorced his wife in 2003.

ANTI-GAY VOTING RECORD: In March 2009, Sen. Ashburn voted against a Senate resolution declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Ashburn voted three times to oppose the creation of Harvey Milk Day. In September he voted against California recognizing out of state same-sex marriages. In 2008 he voted to oppose an expansion of the state's insurance laws to include sexual orientation as a protected class.

Here is a video of a local television station's coverage of the scandal:

I don't usually cover closeted anti-gay politician's scandals but this one is just so egregious, it's unavoidable. I'd love to hear what openly gay Speaker of the Assembly John Perez or openly gay State Senator Mark Leno have to say about this "affair."

Big shout out to Joe.My.God for alerting me to the "gay" angle of this story. The report of the state senator driving a state-issued vehicle being arrested for a DUI has been news down here in Southern California, but curiously they didn't mention the fact he was leaving a gay bar with another man at the time.

MOVIE REVIEW: A Single Man

Fashion designer Tom Ford's first film is A Single Man and stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.

A Single Man is about a gay (closeted) professor of English in Los Angeles named George Falconer played by Firth who has lost his handsome, younger partner of 16 years, Jim (Matthew Goode) in the last year, and follows him during the course of one day, depicting his attempt to come to terms with grief, loss and hope. Julianne Moore plays George's best friend and neighbor, Charly, who also knew him years before in London and is now (again) single and clearly hopeful that now that George is single also the two could be more than friends.

Nicolas Hoult plays a youthful and attractive student with impossibly large, bright blue eyes who is curiously, inappropriately interested in George's personal life.

The most memorable features of the film is the incredibly detailed art direction which depicts southern California of 1962 with elegant accuracy. Another high point is Colin Firth's lead performance which does an excellent job of really communicating the depth of feeling of a man who is grieving the love of his life but is constrained by social conventions (this is almost a full decade before Stonewall, after all) from doing so. Unfortunately, it is clear that this is Tom Ford's feature film debut, because it is directed with a heavy, obtrusive hand.

Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for some disturbing images and nudity/sexual content.
Director: Tom Ford.

OVERALL GRADE: B+ (3.42/4.0).

ACTING: A.
IMAGERY: B+.
PLOT: B.
IMPACT: B+.

VIDEO: Trailer for "Outrage"

The movie "Outrage" directed by Kirby Dick is being released nationally tomorrow. It is about outing closeted politicians who are secretly gay but support anti-gay policies and legislation. MadProfessah has been a longtime supporter of outing, way back in the days of Michelangelo Signorile and Michael Goff and OutWeek magazine from the early 1990s.

Obama Appoints Highest Ranking Gay Person Ever

Barack Obama has apparently decided on John Berry currently director of the National Zoo to become the head of the Office of Personnel Management, the highest ranking appointment of an openly gay person ever.

Many LGBT activists are still annoyed that Obama has not appointed an openly LGBT person to his Cabinet, although as one activist mentioned, it is very possible that Obama thinks that he has already done so, since it is very possible he has more information about his sexually ambiguous Homeland Security Secretary designate Janet Napolitano than the rest of us have!

Joe Solmonese, head of the Human Rights Campaign has issued the following statement, applauding the appointment:

The selection of John Berry to head the Office of Personnel Management, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official ever, is a meaningful step forward for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In his new role, John will make critical decisions regarding the implementation of fair workplace policies for millions of federal workers. We congratulate him on his remarkable achievements and look forward to his continued leadership for the LGBT community and the nation as a whole.