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| Rev. Willie Wilson indicated he has no intention of apologizing for his anti-gay remarks made during a July 3 sermon. (Photo by Greg Gibson/AP) |
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nearly six months to plan possible black gay participation in the Millions More Movement march.
In a statement released after the meeting, members of the black GLBT community discussion group called on Millions More Movement leaders to demand that Wilson apologize and resign from his executive director’s post with the march.
The group also called on march organizers to designate a lesbian and gay male speaker at the march; designate a seat on the march steering committee for the National Black Justice Coalition, an African-American gay group; and designate the Monthly LGBT African-American Community Discussion group as an official, organizing committee for the march.
The discussion group also called on “the executive office of the Mayor, the City Council, affirming churches, women’s groups, and other national civil rights organizations to denounce Rev. Wilson’s statements” about gays.
As of late this week, Millions More Movement officials had not responded to the community discussion group’s request.
“It’s very disappointing,” said lesbian activist Sheila Alexander-Reid, one of the organizers of the monthly black gay organizing committee.
The lack of response from the Millions More Movement leaders prompted some black gay activists to call for a possible boycott of the October march.
Alexander-Reid said the community discussion group had already planned to hold a rally for African-American gay people at Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C., during the weekend of the march. Initial plans called for marching from the rally to the site of the Millions More Movement march, which is set to take place on the National Mall.
Alexander-Reid said the “non-response” by march organizers to Wilson’s sermon and their apparent refusal to accept black gays as full partners in the march has prompted nearly all members of the discussion group to conclude they could no longer participate in the march.
“For months, we were unclear about whether we should get involved,” Alexander-Reid said. “Now, we know we should not.”
She noted that the black gay community became hopeful and enthusiastic earlier this year when Farrakhan invited gays to take part in the march and said gays would be fully included in the planning process.
“That was double-speak,” she said. “Now we know he was insincere.”
Katherine Volin contributed to this report.
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