Anyone who is an avid follower of the news and social media is well aware of the storm that has erupted around Kim Burrell and the controversial statements she has made in regard to gays and lesbians. On December 30, Burrell, who is a pastor at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church in Houston, delivered a scorching denunciation of the LGBTQ community for what she saw as the “perverted and immoral” lifestyle and values that members of gay men and women engaged in.
Burrell also threw some drive by shade on pastor Eddie Long, who is currently battling illness, referring to him as a hypocrite who had disgraced the larger religious community. Not surprisingly, reaction was and has been intense and swift.
People from across the entertainment community have weighed in on the controversy. Many have taken Burrell to task for what they see as her hateful and callous comments. Octavia Spencer, Questlove, Janelle Monáe, Pharrell Williams, Yolanda Adams, and Chaka Khan are among those who argue that the statements were unacceptable, uncalled for and had no place in the mindset of people who refer to themselves as Christians.
In addition to being disinvited from appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Burrell’s own radio show — Bridging the Gap — has been canceled. Shirley Caesar, the godmother of female gospel singers, has been one the few public figures who has come to the defense of the embattled singer. The Black bloggersphere has been awash in posts on the subject, with many employing quotes from the Bible as they came to the defense of Burrell while many others decried what they saw as her ignorance and insensitivity.
For her part, Burrell has stood her ground, refused to apologize, and has argued that her words had been “misconstrued” and taken out of context.
While Burrell is certainly not the first and undoubtedly will not be the last public figure who has landed in hot water for espousing intolerant views about a specific group of people, she has added her undeniably controversial perspective on an issue that has been an ongoing source of contention within the Black community — homophobia.
There is no doubt that many Black people — especially over age 35 — have attended a church service in which the pastor has made direct, if not outright, hostile comments about gay people. Immoral, sinful, perverted, and unchristian are just a few of the likely words that come roaring out of his or her mouth. The book of Leviticus gets referred to, dissected and recited in depth. To be sure, there are Black pastors that have taken a minimal or even neutral stance on the issue. However, they are few and far between. The same holds true for the Black community.
