McClurkin withdraws from King Memorial concert

[William769]

At the request of D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, controversial gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has said God delivered him from the sin of homosexuality, has withdrawn as a performer at a city-sponsored concert scheduled to take place Saturday night, Aug. 10, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

McClurkin’s withdrawal from the event, which is being organized by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, came one day after local gay activist and longtime civil rights advocate Phil Pannell called the gospel singer’s public statements on homosexuality “vile.”

Pannell and other LGBT activists said McClurkin’s participation in the event would be at odds with King’s call for ending discrimination and injustice against all people.

“The Mayor directed the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to ask Donnie McClurkin to withdraw,” Gray spokesperson Doxie McCoy told the Blade in an email. “No disrespect to Mr. McClurkin, but Mayor Gray thought it best that he withdraw from the concert in the name of not having his appearance to be a distraction at an event about peace, love and justice for all,” McCoy said.

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2013/08/10/mcclurkin-withdraws-from-king-memorial-concert/

This great man's memorial concert had just been saved.

[dlwickham]

1. how long before the right wingers start screaming censorship

[Bluenorthwest]

2. This pleases me greatly and shows how the times have changed.

nt

[okasha]

3. Though MLK himself didn't explicitly

embrace equal rights for LGBT's, Coretta King most emphatically did. McClurkin's presence wuld have insulted her memory, too.

[theHandpuppet]

4. Yes, Coretta was a true ally

I think the extended King family is still divided over the issue of equality, however.

[joeybee12]

5. I think it was Jessee Jackson who said that while MLK didn't publicly come out in support...

Privately he said that would be his next step...