October 28,2005 volume 26, Number 22 ^^^-^-^Serving the Carolinas For Over 25 Years!
Black Gays, Lesbians on Rollercoaster of Inclusion
Gays Embraced, Then
Excluded From Millions
More Event
By Bob Roehr
Contributing Writer
Leaders of the black GLUT commit
nity were shocked and dismayed at the
rollercoaster of reconciliation and
inclusion, then the last minute rejection
of their participation in the Millions
More Movement (MMM) event on die
Mall nv Washington, DC, on October
15.
The event served to commemorate
the tenth anniversary of the Million
Man March and reinvigorate commu
nity empowerment. This time the Rev.
Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of :
Islam had the support of many other
leaders of the African
munity who had shunned the eanfcr
gathering.
In February, Farrakhan publicly wel
comed the participation of gays and
lesbians inactivities but a series of com
munications between the MMM and
GLBT leaders resulted in little progress
toward that end. There was a further
setback in July when Rev. Willie
7116 National Blapk Justice Coalition hole* a ralty, ,#*.p
Unity Weekend in Washington, DC on Qclober *5.
Wilson, executive director of the event,'
made what many considered tobe
inflammatory remarks about the com
munity while preaching at his church
in DC
The National Black Justice Coalition
(NBJC) took Farrakhan to task for con
timing to exclude them from the event,
. at ¥ news conference on October 11.
That resulted an October 12 meeting
with Farrakhan and Wilson.
"There were times when the discus
sion was very heated," said NBJC exec
utive director H. Alexander Robinson.
NBJC Members gather in Washington (left) and NBJC President Keith Boykin addresses the crowd.
Much of it focused on Wilson's feeling
that he had been attacked by die gay
community in Washington, and "he
still did not understand the hurtfulness
of what he had said about us."
"Rev. Wilson was a huge obstacle. He
refused to shake our hands when we
walked in, he yelled and screamed the
whole time," said- NBJC president
Keith Boykin. "Minister Farrakhan was
very understanding, polite and respect
ful."
According to Boykin, "Wilson said
the gay community attacked him and
he feels die same way about the gay
community as he feels about white
people—a few of diem are alright but
die rest of them, I don't wantt^jmv^
anything to do with ther^P*11®^^^^
He said, at one point Wilson pulled
out some sleeping pills and a thong
with candy on it and said that lesbians
are making women take the pills and
3&mrthe thong, and suck off me candy.
"And we were just kicking at him,
stunned."
- Kooinson continued, We had a very
good conversation with Minister
Farrakhan on a wide range of issues
that we share. At the end of the meeting
it was Rev. Wilson that suggested that
Keith be the speaker, and Minister
Farrakhan agreed. I left the
[Wednesday] meeting thinking that we
had some agreement on what would
happen [on Saturday] and the potential
for future conversations."
Saturday Disappoints
"We showed up at 8:00 am [on
Saturday] to get VEP credentials for me,
Alexander: and Donna [Payne, NBJC
vice president and a field organizer for
the Human Rights Campaign], and
they didn't have any for any of us. We
were escorted to the stage area to talk
with Sister Claudette Muhammad who
was our liaison to Farrakhan," Boykin
said.
Payne said, "Rev. Wilson came over
and said to me, you will not be speak
ing. He had a smirk on his face."
Wilson claimed the group had not
responded in time and he walked off.
continued page 2